One Injured as Gunmen Attack OSPAC Security Office in Omoku, Rivers State

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

A Saturday night of relative calm in Omoku, headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) in Rivers State, was shattered when unknown gunmen launched a brazen attack on the head office of the local security outfit, the ONELGA Security and Peace Advisory Committee, better known by its acronym OSPAC.

The incident occurred at about 8:10 p.m. on May 9, 2026, at the OSPAC headquarters located on Erema Street in Omoku. Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants arrived in two vehicles, one of which was an ash‑coloured Lexus Jeep. Sporadic gunfire erupted at the facility, sending panic rippling through the neighbourhood as residents and passersby scrambled for safety. The attack left one OSPAC operative with a bullet wound to the ankle.

"They drove in and started shooting sporadically. Nobody died, but one of our personnel sustained a bullet injury on his ankle. Our station guards later repelled the attack," Godknows Nkem, the Public Relations Officer of OSPAC in Rivers State, told journalists in a telephone interview.

Nkem expressed surprise at the audacity of the assailants, noting that the OSPAC office operates as an open centre where residents freely lodge complaints and seek assistance. Despite the attack, he issued a defiant message, assuring the community of the group's resilience and its continued commitment to maintaining peace and security in the local government area and beyond. "OSPAC has been known by its name. The fear of OSPAC is the beginning of wisdom in the entire ONELGA," Nkem declared, adding, "Nobody should be scared. The perpetrators will meet their doom."

However, the incident has drawn attention to the operational challenges facing the security outfit. Nkem lamented that for the past eight months, the group has been struggling to survive, with its welfare largely ignored. "For the past eight months that this administration came on board, our welfare has not been catered for. We have been struggling to survive," he revealed, urging residents to remain law‑abiding and go about their normal business.

OSPAC, which stands for ONELGA Security and Peace Advisory Committee, was first established several years ago in the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area as a private security initiative to complement the efforts of formal security agencies. Over time, it has spread to many parts of Rivers State, where its operatives have been credited with helping to curb criminal activities. The vigilante group has a particularly strong presence in Omoku, a town that has suffered some of the worst violence in the state's recent history. In 2018, a notorious kidnapper, Johnson Igwedibia, also known as Don Waney, and his lieutenants were responsible for a horrific New Year Day massacre in Omoku, which saw many residents killed, around the time OSPAC first arrived in the area.

The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the incident and launched an investigation. The command's spokesperson, ASP Blessing Agabe, stated, "I can confirm the incident. No arrest for now because the incident happened late in the night, but the investigation is ongoing to unmask the identities of the perpetrators with a view to bringing them to justice."

While the motive for the attack remains unclear at the time of filing this report, the incident adds to a recent rise in security infractions across Rivers State, including a surge in cult‑related violence, armed robberies, and kidnappings. In early May 2026, security forces arrested 13 suspected cultists during an initiation ceremony in a forest in the Eleme Local Government Area. In a separate development in the same month, the police arrested four members of a robbery syndicate linked to a N4.6 million fraud case in Port Harcourt.

The assault on the OSPAC office also follows the killing of a traditional ruler barely a week earlier by unknown gunmen in the state. The Rivers State Government has yet to issue a formal statement, but local civil society groups have called for increased support for community‑based security initiatives, which are often the first line of defence in remote and difficult terrain.

OSPAC's headquarters remains secure, with officials assuring the public that operations have not been disrupted. Investigations are continuing as authorities work to track down those responsible for the incident.

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