In a significant breakthrough, the Rivers State Police command has reported the successful operation leading to the elimination of a notorious cult leader, Silas Oderere, and his accomplice during a fierce shootout in Oderereke community, Ahoada West Local Government Area.
Silas Oderere, also known as ‘General,’ had been evading authorities for the past four years and was identified as the leader of the Greenlanders’ cult group in the Ubie clan in Ahoada West.
According to Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police and spokesperson for the State Police Command, Oderereke and his gang were involved in a range of criminal activities, including armed robbery, land grabbing, unauthorized sales of buildings, and brutal attacks on those who opposed them.
The operation unfolded on January 11, 2024, when the police received information about Oderereke’s gang planning a robbery operation, which also included vandalizing the property of the late monarch, Eze Robinson O. Robinson. Swiftly responding to the intelligence, the police chased the criminals out of town. However, the defiant ‘General’ and his gang retaliated by launching an attack on a community-owned tank farm in Oderereke with the intention to loot its contents.
During this sabotage attempt, a heated exchange of gunfire ensued, resulting in the neutralization of Oderereke and one of his accomplices, while others sustained injuries. Two other prominent clan leaders, Danger-boy and 2-Man, who frequently collaborated with Oderereke, managed to escape and are currently at large.
Upon searching the gang’s hideout, the police discovered a G3 Rifle and nineteen 7.62x51mm ammunition. Further investigations unveiled a camp Oderereke had established between Oderereke and Olokuma communities, serving as a base for the cult leader and his followers, from where they launched robbery attacks on innocent members of neighboring communities.
Commending the operatives for their discreet investigation and successful neutralization of the criminals, the State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, warned cultists and other criminal elements to either reform or be prepared to face the full force of the law. He asserted that the command, under his leadership, will make the state inhospitable for such elements until they are apprehended.