Panic has gripped Rumuodogo 2, a quiet agrarian community in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, after gunmen stormed the settlement in a night-time raid that left two residents dead.

Residents said the attackers, armed with rifles and machetes, moved from house to house in a coordinated operation, forcing doors open and calling out the names of specific targets. The operation, described by witnesses as “commando-style,” lasted several tense minutes as families hid indoors or fled into nearby bushes.

One of the victims’ wives, a woman identified simply as Monica, recounted how the gunmen burst into their home while she and her husband were asleep. She said the assailants broke down their door and dragged them outside at gunpoint.

According to her, the men beat her husband mercilessly before shooting him at close range. She said she was spared only after one of the attackers argued that she should be left alive because she is a woman. The killing, she added, took place in full view of terrified neighbours who were too afraid to intervene.

Monica alleged that the gunmen came from a neighbouring community in another local government area that shares a boundary with Rumuodogo 2. She claimed the attackers accused her community of being responsible for the deaths of several people whose bodies were recently recovered from a nearby river.

The incident has heightened fears of a possible reprisal cycle between the two border communities, with local leaders reportedly appealing for calm and urging security agencies to intervene before the situation escalates.

Spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, ASP Blessing Agabe, confirmed the attack and the deaths of two residents. She said detectives have been deployed to the area and that the command has opened a full investigation.

Agabe explained that officers are working to establish the motive behind the killings and to track down those responsible. She urged residents with useful information to come forward, assuring them that their identities would be protected.

Community members say they now live in fear of further attacks and are calling for increased patrols, permanent security presence, and a thorough probe into the alleged inter-community tensions that may have triggered the violence.