By Francis Sadhere

Pandemonium broke out yesterday at Orhowhorun community in Udu Local government area of Delta State as rival cult groups numbering over 50 held the community to ransom for several hours as they engaged in bloody cult clash.

Alkali Baba Usman, Delta State Commissioner of Police.

According to an eye witness who claimed anonymity for fear of being attacked, the rival cult clash started at about 9pm when more than 50 boys swam the area and started shooting sporadically.

He said in the process many were wounded from gun shots while others scampered for safety, just as property worth millions of naira were destroyed by the cultist during the clash.

He said: “I was in my house preparing to go to bed with my children when I started hearing gunshots everywhere. They started shooting at about 9pm till day break. They were smashing the windscreens of all the cars that they saw along their way. Even the louvres in the Windows of many  houses in the area were not speared as the rampaging cultists smashed them too.

“They later went to the town Hall and  destroyed the two cars they saw there. I could hear them shouting that they want to kill the chairman of the community. They actually went to his house and smashed all the louvres in his house but  they could not gain entrance into his house because of the strong protector he had. We don’t know if he was around when the boys came to his house.”

Meanwhile the police have arrested 42 cultists suspected to be involved in the bloody fracas that happened at Orhoworhon yesterday.

Speaking to our correspondent through the telephone, the Warri Area Commander, ACP Mohammed Mu’azu, confirmed the incident saying that the police are currently investigating the incident and those arrested and found guilty will be charged to court.

ACP Mu’azu assured Deltans that the fight against cultists and other forms of criminality in the state will be adequately pursued to the latter, appealing to citizens to always furnish the police with information.