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10 cult leaders sign undertakings
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Command has initiated conflict resolution tactics to secure a ceasefire from warring cult groups in the state. It has warned that further conflict and killings will lead to automatic arrest and prosecution of identified leaders.
The cult clashes, which resulted in the killings of seven persons in the last week along the Igbogene, Amarata, Swali, and Ekeki axis of Yenagoa, the state capital, were due to a struggle for control of the revenue from the newly deployed State Transport Terminal located at Igbogene.
It was gathered that the Igbogene axis, where the bus terminal is located, was under the control of the Greenlanders cult group. However, other cult groups such as the Icelanders, Vikings, Bobos, and Dee-bams were struggling to secure a share of the expected revenue.
Investigations revealed that the State Commissioner of Police, Francis Izu, who was disturbed by the rising cases of killings, ordered the tactical team of Operation Puff Adder, led by CSP Chris Nwaogbo, to invite all the leaders of the cult groups and issue them a caution.
Findings indicated that the leaders of the cult groups initially declined the invitation but, out of fear of the tactical team, approached the top echelon of the police to meet with the State Commissioner of Police over the issue.
At the meeting, which started on Monday and ended on Tuesday, about ten heads of cult groups in the state agreed that reprisal violence and killings should stop. “They also agreed to send messages to all their foot soldiers on the agreement. They submitted that the police should hold any leader of any cult group identified in any further violence responsible,” a police source said.
Another source within the top echelon of the State Police Command said the undertaking was signed to bring a halt to the killings and bloodshed, “but the investigation into individuals responsible for the killings is ongoing and they will be brought to book.”