A violent clash between two rival cult groups battling for supremacy in Mile 2, Diobu area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, disrupted peace in the community on Sunday night, leaving a taxi driver dead.
The suspected cultists—believed to be breakaway factions of the Degbam cult, identified as Blood Star (BS) and December 12 (D12)—engaged in a shootout around the Iloabuchi axis around 11 p.m., sending residents into panic.
Eyewitnesses said the heavy gunfire forced residents who were still outdoors to flee into their homes, while shop owners hurriedly shut down their businesses to avoid being caught in the crossfire. The area quickly became deserted as the rival cult members exchanged gunfire.
Amid the chaos, some individuals who were on the road and shop owners who could not close in time were reportedly robbed by the cultists, who openly brandished weapons to intimidate and dispossess their victims.
Tragically, a taxi driver on a late-night shift, who was not involved in the clash, was hit by a stray bullet and died at the scene. His identity was yet to be confirmed as of the time of filing this report.
The Diobu axis has long been notorious for cult-related violence, particularly clashes between the Degbam and Dewell cult groups, whose members are also known to engage in armed robbery and petty crimes.
Sources revealed that the shootout involved rival factions of the Degbam cult along Iloabuchi, Mile 2 Diobu. The lifeless body of the taxi driver was later recovered by operatives of the Azikiwe Police Division, Mile 2 Diobu.
Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, stated that investigations into the matter are ongoing.
