There was panic in Amadi-Ama, Port Harcourt, on Sunday morning, when a cult group invaded the area and began shooting sporadically into the air.
Members of the cult group were said to be chasing members of a rival cult group who were residing in Amadi-Ama.
It was learnt that residents of the area, who were still asleep when the shooting began at about 5.30am, were woken by the deafening sound of gunshots.
Some of them had to put calls across to the police as they thought that armed robbers had invaded their community.
One of the residents, who spoke with our correspondents, said the people were afraid when they heard the sound of gunshots.
He said, “We were woken by the sound of the gunshots; it was terrible because it started early in the morning, while everybody was still sleeping.
“We called the police and we noticed that they came with about two vans and left when they were almost close to the place where the cult boys were shooting.
“I was later told that the police went to reinforce by bringing in more armed personnel and vehicles to be able to fight the cult members. The cult members, who were shooting, were said to be chasing members of a rival group.
“The cult members, who were shooting, were from the Ukuru community near Amadi-Ama. There is a point around Amadi-Ama, where you will see broken bottles; the cultists did it.”
Another resident of the area told our correspondent that he and members of his family were scared when the sound of the gunshots did not stop.
“We called the police and they assured us that they were coming. It was scary because we thought they were coming for us. But we thank God that at the end, the cultists left and no death was recorded,” the resident added.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the shooting at Amadi-Ama and attributed the incident to the activities of a cult group.
He stated that the police went to reinforce, adding that the hoodlums had gone by the time more policemen came to the scene.
“We received a distress call about the activities of cultists in Amadi-Ama and we did not hesitate to get there. When we got there, we arranged for reinforcement. But the cultists were gone before we got there,” Omoni said.
He also confirmed that no life was lost to the incident and added that investigation had since begun with a view to unmasking those behind the shooting in the area and bringing them to justice.
Omoni expressed the need for members of the public to always inform the police of any unusual movement within their environment.
