Tension as cultists kill MEND leaders, kidnap APC chieftain in Rivers

There is tension in the Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State as a leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta in the area, identified as Etengo Etengo, has been reportedly killed along with his second-in-command in an attack by suspected cultists.

It was gathered that while the Andoni MEND leader died following injuries inflicted on him by his attackers after over two hours of heavy shooting at the weekend, his ally, whose name could not be immediately ascertained as of the time of filing this report, was killed during a clash on Monday.

A security source in the area confirmed the killings, saying, “They were fighting among themselves and I think he (Etengo) was ambushed and killed alongside his second-in-command. They are all cultists and they have been killing people.”

Meanwhile, tension has spread across communities in Andoni as some residents have fled the mainly coastal area to safer towns nearby for fear of possible reprisals.

A resident of Andoni, who said he fled to Port Harcourt early on Monday because of the tension, added that some persons were seen taking speedboats to Port Harcourt as a result of the shooting and the consequent killings.

In a separate development, gunmen have kidnapped a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Hyacinth Nwiye, in the Khana Local Government Area of the state. Punch