Women Storm Warri Council Secretariat Over Rising Cult Killings, Insecurity

Tension escalated in Warri on Tuesday as women and young girls from the Odion Road community staged a peaceful protest over the increasing wave of cult-related killings and insecurity ravaging the area.

The protesters, who marched in large numbers to the Warri South Local Government Council Secretariat, called on the council chairman and security agencies to urgently intervene and end the persistent cult clashes that have left several young men dead in recent days.

Carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, the women lamented that residents of Odion Road, Ogedegbe and Iyara communities have lived in fear for over one week due to violent clashes between suspected rival cult groups.

According to the protesters, the situation has not only disrupted normal economic and social activities but has also created opportunities for hoodlums to allegedly rob residents and terrorize innocent people within the affected areas.

Some of the women described the continuous killings as heartbreaking, stressing that many families have lost breadwinners and loved ones to avoidable violence.

“We are tired of burying our children. Every day, parents are living in fear because of cult killings,” one of the protesters lamented during the demonstration.

The protesters warned that the worsening insecurity was gradually crippling businesses and threatening the future of many youths in the community.

Addressing the demonstrators on behalf of the council authorities, the Head of Personnel Management (HPM), Mrs. Remi Omastuli, appealed to the women to remain calm, assuring them that their concerns would be communicated to the Chairman of Warri South Local Government.

She explained that the chairman was not in office at the time of the protest but promised that the issues raised would receive urgent attention.

The women, however, urged security agencies, community leaders and parents to work together in tackling cultism and restoring lasting peace across Warri South communities.

They also appealed to youths to reject cult-related activities and embrace peaceful coexistence for the development of the area.