At least four communities in Udu council area of Delta state have been reportedly become battlegrounds for rival cult groups in the past two weeks.
The Nation gathered that the clashes, which go along with sporadic shootings and thefts mostly in the evenings, have allegedly left several injured and a few dead.
Some residents, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, stated that they live in fear and do everything possible to be indoors before 7pm.
A hairdresser, who lives on New York Street Owaseh, recounted her near brush with the cultists last Wednesday.
“I was very lucky that day. I had just gotten home when people started running outside.
“There were gunshots too. Now, one has to be home by 7 o’clock, otherwise, only God knows,” she said.
Another resident of the area called on the state government and Commissioner of Police to come to their rescue, accusing some community leaders of being members of the cult groups.
“Many of the chiefs and some of the youths belong to various cult groups in this area, so who will really kick against it?
“Unless the Delta State Commissioner of Police do something that can tackle cultism, I’m afraid you will come here one day and see that they have killed all of us,” he said.
Other communities being terrorised are Ovwian, Orhuwhorun and Ekete.
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Residents also claimed that some suspected cultists have also met their deaths in the course of the fights.
Meanwhile, two vigilante members were reportedly murdered Monday night, in Ekete, also in connection with the clashes.
One Mr. Johnson Taiga, elder brother of the Delta State Chairman of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), was killed at Edjophe community, in the same council area.
The victim had left the younger brother’s house sometimes last week to see a friend but was shot dead by suspected cultists riding on four motorcycles.
Delta Commissioner of Police Adeyinka Adeleke said the police were taking steps to end the reign of terror in the council area.
He noted that the command was already scheduled to have a meeting with the chairman of the council, Hon Jite Brown.
Another senior police officer, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, said: “The way things are looking, the command may have to declare a curfew in the council are because the sort of things happening there at night are unspeakable”.
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