A violent confrontation between rival factions of a notorious cult group turned fatal on Sunday evening in the Mile 1 area of Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, leaving one man dead and residents in panic.
The victim, whose identity had yet to be confirmed as of press time, was reportedly shot during a clash involving members of the Doggies and White Eagle factions of the Deybam cult along Abakaliki Street.
Sources told our correspondent on Monday that the confrontation, which erupted on Easter Sunday, was triggered by a dispute involving a young woman, escalating into a deadly exchange of gunfire.
An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, disclosed that the two rival members, belonging to different factions within the same cult group, had a disagreement after both showed interest in the same woman.
“They belong to the same cult, but different houses — Doggies and White Eagle.
The issue started over a girl they were both interested in. When they ran into each other, things quickly got out of hand, and shooting started,” the source said.
The victim was said to have been caught in the violence shortly after leaving a nearby shop where he had gone to purchase bread, as gunmen reportedly drove past and opened fire.
The incident caused chaos in the densely populated neighbourhood, with residents fleeing for safety amid fears of stray bullets and possible retaliatory attacks.
Confirming the development, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, described the killing as a result of an internal clash within a cult group.
“Yes, the incident has been confirmed. It is related to an intra-cult clash in Diobu,” she stated.
Iringe-Koko added that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Olugbenga Adepoju, had directed an immediate manhunt for those responsible, while security presence had been strengthened in the area to prevent further violence.
Police operatives from the Mile 1 Division were said to have later arrived at the scene to evacuate the victim’s body after the attackers fled.
The latest incident underscores persistent concerns over recurring clashes among factions of the Deybam cult in parts of Port Harcourt, despite ongoing security efforts and previous arrests linked to similar violence.