One person was shot dead in the early hours of yesterday in Buguma, headquaters of Asari Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Caretaker Committee Chairman of the council, Mr Sobomabo Jackrich, who confirmed the incident to Vanguard, gave the name of the deceased as Godknows, aka Babadiba.
Meanwhile, five suspected kidnappers have been arrested by the Police in the state.
Spokesman of the state Police command, Ahmad Muhammad, said the suspects were picked up by men of the Police command during a string operation in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, yesterday.
Muhammad said one pump action gun, two AK 47 riffles and one bereta pistol were among items recovered from the hoodlums.
On the Buguma killing, Jackrich said: “Anybody who resides in Buguma knew this man. He was selfless, popular, a complete gentleman by every standard. I don’t know why anybody will do this to him. We appointed him Senior Special Adviser on Business Development to help strengthen the economic life in the council.
“This is a ploy by some persons to destroy the peace in our local government.”
He added that the Police had stepped into the matter, appealing that they should uncover those behind the killing.
Vanguard gathered that the late Godknows was allegedly threatened by some persons during the week, an issue he and many others dismissed as vain threat.
A resident of the community who spoke under condition of anonymity said that nobody imagined that anyone could contemplate killing Godknows.
The late Godknows was described as a business man with entrepreneurial spirit. He operated a thriving shop in the community where drinks and other consumables were sold.
Vanguard gathered that his corpse was found riddled with bullets.
Meantime, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has appealed to the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state to support effort by the state government to address the security challenges in the state.
Rivers state Chairman of the party, Mr Felix Obuah, in a statement by his media aide, Mr Jerry Needam, enjoined the leadership of the APC to stop alleged promotion of violence in the state.
On its part, the APC has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take decisive steps to end issues of insecurity in the state.
Rivers State Chairman of the party, Mr Davies Ikanya in a statement by his media aide, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka, commended President Buhari for expressing dissatisfaction with the security challenges that trailed the last re-run elections in the state.
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