Women and other residents of Odion Road in Warri South Local Government Area on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest, calling for an end to cult-related killings in the community.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “We want peace,” “Enough of the killings,” and “People’s children are dying,” the demonstrators marched through Odion Road and nearby streets chanting solidarity songs and demanding improved security.
The protest followed a series of violent attacks in the area. Last Sunday, a man was shot dead along Urhobo Road, while another young man was killed the following day on Iyara Road by suspected cultists. Earlier on Saturday, another resident reportedly survived gunshot wounds after being attacked by suspected cult members.
Residents said fear had gripped the community, forcing many traders to avoid evening business activities.
“We are afraid to bring our tables in the evening out to do our petty sales since the killings started,” one of the protesters, identified as Stella, said.
She recounted that the victim killed on Sunday had stopped to buy a sachet of alcohol and was about to drink it when armed men arrived in a tricycle and opened fire on him.
“He bought a sachet of hot drink from a woman selling along Urhobo road and even sat down there to drink when they came to kill him right there. We are all afraid to do our petty businesses at night. The killings even occured in the day time,” she said.
Another protester alleged that the young man killed on Monday had just finished bathing at an outdoor bathroom in a compound on Iyara Road when gunmen attacked him at close range.
“That evening, they went for their target who had just finished bathing in the bathroom outside in the compound and opened fire on him. It was clear that somebody monitored the boy and called those who came to do the killing. Or they were waiting around,” she added.
The women appealed to those responsible for the violence to stop the bloodshed, saying the killings had thrown families into fear and uncertainty.
“We don’t know what may happen tonight. So, as mothers, we are begging for an end. I heard the one killed on Sunday was a father and a married man. We don’t know who are responsible for the killings. Some people said it is cult related. We are begging them to stop,” she said.