•Police arrest 17 suspects
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
There are no signs of peace amid the raging cult war in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, and other parts of the state.
The dire situation worsened over the weekend with four reported deaths and heavy shooting in Yenagoa.
According to investigations, two fresh graduates were hacked to death at Gbarantoru community, Yenagoa Local Government, while one boy was killed at Amarata and another one yesterday morning at Swali.
The two boys killed in Gbarantoru, said to be waiting for the National Youth Service Corp(NYSC) call-up letters, were attacked by assailants who came prepared for them.
The assailants were said to have arrived Gbarantoru community in a vehicle and immediately spotted their two targets.
“Immediately they saw them, they shouted ’’See them’’. They began chanting aye, aye and attacked the boys with machetes. They practically used their machetes to inflict deep wounds and made a mess of their bodies. One of the boys tried to escape as he jumped into the creek. But by the time he swam ashore again, the assailants waited for me and continued their attack until he became unconscious,’’ a resident of Gbarantoru said.
The Commander of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Bayelsa Chapter, Tolummbofa Jonathan, who confirmed the attack, said the attacked victims were taken to the community health centre, but they were confirmed dead after losing so much blood.
Jonathan also confirmed that the driver of the vehicle that brought the assailants to Gbarantoru has been arrested.
Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Musa Muhammed, also confirmed the incident, saying that the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) has taken over the case, noting, however, that some arrests have been made.
Findings indicated that men of the Rapid Response Squad, on hearing about the incident through the radio message, mounted a stop and search operation along the Tombia- Amasomma road.
“We saw 13 boys, some with blood stains on their bodies, inside a Mini Suzuki bus. They also had machetes with them. Upon questioning, we discovered that they went to Gbarantoru for the operation in vehicles. One developed fault, while they were escaping, and they abandoned it. They have all been taken into custody for further investigation.’’
Meanwhile, heavy shooting between rival cult groups was witnessed in Amarata, Azikoro, Swali, and Fambge over the weekend.
The shooting in Amarata is believed to be a reprisal for the killing in Gbarantoru led to the killing of one person by a group of four boys who invaded the area with assorted rifles.
Yesterday morning, the shooting continued in Famgbe and spilled over to Swali, where a deadly clash led to the death of one person.
A Police source said the Police leadership in the state is determined to put an end to cult killings in Yenagoa and its environs.
‘’We are working seriously to end these nefarious cult clashes and bring those involved to book. We have made many arrests. We want politicians to steer clear of influencing Police investigations. We will ensure those arrested face the law.’’