Precisely a week after the offer and acceptance of Peace by cultists on June 16th, 2016, Ngo town, headquarters of the Andoni Local Government Area came further alive penultimate Friday 24th June, 2016 when the death of the cultists’ kingpin popularly called commander Otu-Okpom – aka “small witch” was broken to the populace.
The Nigeria security operatives stationed in the local government occasioned on the Civil disturbances by cultists had on the said date took on the kingpin at his own hometown, Agana where the security operatives overpowered the cultists leader.
Eye witness accounts of the incident has it that the kingpin Late Out-Okpom engaged the security operatives in an onslaught that lasted for about an hour without any casualty until the last blast that saw the death and end of the kingpin.
The lifeless body of the dead cultist was displayed on the major road at the Divisional police headquarters, where passers-by and residents in large numbers trooped in to watch and confirm the story of the exit of the dreaded cultist lying without any further power to rescue him.
It would be recalled that while other cultists keyed into the peace offer by the Andoni local government council under the current caretaker chairman, Engr. Ofiks Kagbang Christopher which was celebrated on initial June 16th, 2016, the killer Kingpin had turned down the offer, which sources revealed that he was party to the peace process.
Residents of Andoni Local Government Area had since February 2016, suffers death, loss of property, lost of monies, and all sorts of negative tendencies arising from the forceful take over of the area by the said cultists.
Although, there are few of them who are far from the offer of peace still fomenting pockets of trouble in the respective communities of Ebukuma, Ngo main land, Ekede and others, the local government area has not only witness relative peace but come alive as its economy has improved, particularly at the exit of the kingpin, The Newswriter learnt.
Residents who spoke with The Newswriter crime correspondent on fact finding called on the government of Rivers State and Andoni LG to sustain the tempo by maintaining the security operatives especially now that INEC has fixed date for the conclusion of the re-run elections.
Meanwhile, it has been uncovered that a certain political party is not happy that the cultists terrorizing the local government was offered peace as it intends to use their services against other political parties in the forthcoming elections in the area, hence criticizing the government of the day under the PDP for resorting to peaceful disposition of the area.
Activities of the hoodlums in the area, however was a nightmare as residents could not sleep with their eyes closed occasioned on incessant killings, until the present Caretaker Chairman assumed office.
The community of Unyengala Doni-town is still mourning her 3 innocent indigenes; Oyorokoto becomes an almost grave yard with spills of blood.
Ngo town is not an exception amidst other communities of Andoni.
An eye witness appeal to the state government to consider its strides in security a very crucial project and extend same to Andoni local government. ###