The Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested two suspected cultists, including a 300-level student of the Niger Delta University (NDU), following a cult-related killing in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
The arrests came after the fatal attack on Ebube Jonathan, a 200-level Management Science student of Niger Delta University, who was reportedly killed on Tuesday along Kabaka Street in Amassoma.
According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Musa Mohammed, Jonathan was allegedly attacked by unidentified assailants at about 2 p.m. He was reportedly hacked with machetes and shot before he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor.
Police identified the deceased as a suspected member of the Black Axe confraternity.
The command said officers from the Amassoma Division launched a swift operation shortly after the incident. At about 4 p.m. the same day, they arrested two suspects identified as Godswin Adobu, 24, a 300-level Fine and Applied Arts student in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at Niger Delta University, and Tarilaefa Fesingha, 21.
According to the police, the suspects were apprehended at Ending Pele in Amassoma while allegedly mobilising to carry out a retaliatory attack over the killing of the deceased.
During the operation, security operatives recovered two locally made pistols and two rounds of live 9mm ammunition from the suspects.
The Bayelsa State Police Command said investigations into the incident are ongoing as efforts continue to identify and arrest other individuals linked to the killing.
The Commissioner of Police reaffirmed the command’s determination to tackle cult-related violence and other criminal activities across Bayelsa State. He also warned criminal groups to abandon unlawful activities or face prosecution.
The police further appealed to residents to continue providing timely and credible information that will assist security agencies in combating cultism and maintaining peace in communities across the state.
