Over 500 killed in Rivers’ cult clashes

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Over 500 people have been reportedly killed in cult clashes in two local government areas of Ahoada-East and Ahoada West of Rivers State within nine months.

A study carried out by the Institute for Strategic and Developmental Studies revealed that a greater number of those who lost their lives were youths.

These facts were revealed by Nngeri GoodHead Goodlife, a lawyer and former Caretaker Committee Chairman of Ahoada West Local Government Area, who carried out a study on the root causes of cult clashes and the effects in Ahoada East and Ahoada West local government areas.

Goodlife, who is a member of Ahoada East and Ahoada West local government areas peace, security and reconciliation committee, lamented that the deaths that had occurred in the area had been under reported.

“People die in numbers of 20s,30s…and many of them are not reported. Many of them are youths and others are prominent persons in the society”.

He blamed the clashes on lack of regard for human lives and abandonment of culture of respect for elders.

“It is the tradition of Ekpeye people to respect their elders when it comes to giving authorities and issuing orders. But if you are an elder and you deserves respect but you do not live up to be respected you lose the respect. The issue of respect and order that have eluded the Ekpeye people was also discovered during the study and the need for it to be corrected,” the researcher stated in a radio programme on Saturday in Port Harcourt.

He said that the cult clashes were sponsored by people of Ekpeye but he deliberately refused to include their names in the report because the report was not a petition.

Goodlife appealed to the youths of the area to lay down their arms and embrace peace.

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