How gunshots, explosives frightened residents in Trans Amadi
Most residents who stay around the Amadi Ama axis in Trans Amadi say they are yet to recover from the intense shooting which took place in the neighborhood.
Gunshots and explosions were heard in the early hours of Friday.
Neighbours who peeped through their windows told this publication that the men who came in jeeps were armed to the teeth.
They also disclosed that the shooting commenced at about midnight when some people were already fast asleep.
Shooting went on for a couple of hours unabated while residents in the affected areas cowered in fear, praying security agencies would move in.
No help came, according to one resident who claimed that the invaders would have massacred many people if that was their mission.
An explosive first went off between 12am and 1.00am Nigerian time, causing vibrations.
Thereafter, the rhythmic beat of heavy duty guns began, continuing for what looked like eternity.
A resident who lives at a residential area close to a mosque told the Port Harcourt Telegraph, “The guns were apparently sophisticated. My ears have never heard that kind of sound. They sounded different from what we were used to in the past.
“Many here have heard the AK47 bark. These guns were something else. The shooting was coming from a polo where there is a mosque.”
A polo in Okrika parlance means a settlement.
The Telegraph reports that there were at least four loud explosions which shook the ground as precision bullets left the nuzzles of blazing guns.
The identity of those who struck at night is not yet known.
But security agencies were spotted around the scene of the incident in the morning.
They were seen in their numbers, stretching as far as the Mothercat axis which hosts a roundabout.
While some suspect it may have been evidence of the resurgence of cult related activities, others with some knowledge said it was political.
Speaking under anonymous conditions, multiple sources revealed it was an indication of what may be expected in the days ahead if security agencies do not move into action.
“Oga, sometin go bad, I dey tell you”, a knowledgeable source who apparently has an ear to the ground added.
Governor Nyesom Wike had in a statewide broadcast asked security agencies to swoop on hideouts and flush out cultists, militants and other miscreants.
With what has happened, the intelligence which may have formed the background for the state broadcast was indeed accurate.
The Telegraph understands that this may be part of a plan to scar voters who are getting ready to cast their votes.