Gunmen suspected to be cultists fatally shot George Johnson Sopruchi, a printer, on Saturday night along Abakiliki Street near Emenike in Mile 1 Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State’s capital.
According to an anonymous eyewitness, the gunmen trailed Sopruchi to Abakiliki Street in Diobu around 8:30 pm and fatally shot him while he was engaged in conversation with someone. They also stole his motorcycle and one of his mobile phones.
Witnesses rushed the victim to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Sunday morning.
This incident follows the killing of a man on Thursday night, March 14, 2024, on Nanka/Lumuber Street in Mile 1 Diobu, as confirmed by Rivers State Police Spokesperson SP Grace Iringe-Koko. Investigations are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators.
The Rivers Police Command has not yet responded to the Abakiliki incident.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Commissioner of Police CP Olatunji Disu has cautioned cultists and other criminals to desist from unlawful activities, emphasizing that law enforcement is vigilant. CP Disu reiterated this warning in a statement issued on Sunday, March 17, 2024, by the command’s Public Relations Officer SP Grace Iringe-Koko. The statement announced the arrest of two main suspects, Ejike Samuel and Victor Kokoriko, in a recent Port Harcourt gang conflict. The suspects were apprehended by the Mile 1 Police Division and subsequently transferred to the Anti-Cultism unit of the Command following credible intelligence.
