The Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested 20 suspected cultists as part of intensified operations to curb cultism and cult-related violence across the state.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Musa Mohammed, disclosed this on Thursday in a telephone conversation with our correspondent.
Mohammed said the suspects were arrested during ongoing operations across communities identified as vulnerable to cult activities.
He added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ajao Saka Adewale, would issue a formal statement on the arrests and the ongoing operations.
“So far, 20 suspected cultists have been arrested. The CP will make a formal statement on that,” Mohammed said.
He added, “Bayelsa State is peaceful now. We appreciate the efforts by various communities to ensure that these enemies of the state are apprehended.”
The crackdown, ordered by the police commissioner, has been extended to Swali, Akenfa, Down Yenagoa, Agudama and other areas considered vulnerable to cult activities.
The command said several suspected cultists, including some notorious figures, had been arrested, while security operatives were tracking other suspects.
Adewale has also directed divisional and tactical teams across the state to intensify patrols, strengthen intelligence gathering and prevent planned cult clashes, initiations and recruitment.
The police said the operation was aimed at dismantling cult networks and restoring peace to communities affected by cult-related violence.
Meanwhile, residents of Swali, Agudama, Akenfa and other communities have reportedly begun distancing themselves from cult groups and speaking out against cultism and violence.
However, tension was reported in Onopa following a protest by residents over the alleged shooting and arrest of a young man during a police operation.
The protesters accused some police officers of conducting indiscriminate arrests during the raid.
The police authorities, however, dismissed reports that the man had died, saying he was alive and receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.
The latest operation followed renewed cult clashes in Yenagoa at the weekend, with at least five people feared killed in violence involving rival cult groups.
Speaking on the development, Adewale vowed that the command would sustain its offensive against cultism and related violence in the state.
“There will be no sacred cows. We will sustain our operations against cultism and cult-related violence across Bayelsa State,” he said.
The commissioner directed police personnel to remain proactive, intensify surveillance and work with residents to prevent further clashes and attacks.
He also urged members of the public to provide the police with useful information on the activities and whereabouts of suspected cultists, assuring them that such information would be treated confidentially.