Police secure ceasefire over cult killings in Bayelsa

– 10 cult leaders signs undertakings

The Bayelsa State Command has initiated a conflict resolution tactics to secure a ceasefire from warring cult groups in the State.
It has therefore warned that further conflict and killings will lead to automatic arrest and prosecutions of identified leaders.

The cult clashes, which resulted into the killings of seven persons in the last one week along the Igbogene , Amarata, Swali and Ekeki axis of Yenagoa, the state capital, was as a result of struggle for control of the share revenue from the newly deployed State Transport Terminal located at Igbogene.
It was gathered that the Igbogene axis, where the Bus terminal was located, was under the control of the Greenlanders cult group, but other cult groups such as the Icelanders, Vikings, Bobos and Dee-bams were struggling to have a share of such expected revenues.

Investigations revealed that the State Commissioner of Police, Francis Izu, who was miffed by the rising cases of killings, ordered the tactical team of the Operation Puff Adder led by CSP Chris Nwaogbo to invite all the leaders of the cult group and issued them a caution.

Findings indicated that the leaders of the cult groups initially declined the invitation but out of fear of the tactical team, they were said to have 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 with 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 of the person’s is ongoing and they will be brought to book.”