Rifles carted away as vigilante group, soldiers clash in Rivers community

Many residents of the Ndele community in Emuoha Local Government Area, Rivers State, fled after a clash between members of a disbanded vigilante group and operatives of the Nigerian Army. The incident began when two soldiers assigned to guard oil installations in the area had an altercation with members of the vigilante group led by a man known as Gift. Gift, the commander of the disbanded vigilante group codenamed “OSPAC,” allegedly shot the two soldiers, seized their rifles and uniforms, and fled into the bush. The injured soldiers were tied up in the bush; their condition was not known at the time of reporting.

In response, additional soldiers entered the community to search for Gift, the stolen rifles, and the uniforms. Their search led them to Gift’s hideout, where a shootout occurred, though it is unclear whether any casualties resulted. After Gift fled, the soldiers set his house ablaze, causing panic among the residents, many of whom escaped into the bush or sought safety elsewhere to avoid the crossfire.

A source who wished to remain anonymous described the events: “One of the soldiers came and untied the two persons inside the bush. The soldier then called his colleagues. Throughout yesterday night, the whole of Ndele was quiet. Everybody ran away. Some people didn’t sleep in their houses; they slept in the bush. The soldiers were looking for the OSPAC commander. There was serious gunfire. As I speak to you now, they burnt his house and I don’t know if he came back this morning.”

Traditional ruler Damian Ejiowhor confirmed that soldiers had been in the community since Saturday evening, attempting to recover the rifles seized by the vigilante commander. He said, “The soldiers came yesterday. The OSPAC commander had a confrontation with some soldiers and then we were told that he seized two of their assault rifles and their uniforms. So, the soldiers came back that evening asking for the rifles,” adding that he would not comment further.

Attempts to contact Iweha Ikedichi, spokesperson for the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, were unsuccessful; he did not answer calls or reply to a text message sent by our reporter as of Sunday evening.