Police arrest 13-year-old cultist, 31 others for armed robbery in Bayelsa

The Bayelsa State Police Command on Thursday, paraded a 13 years old cultist, Master FearGod Oweipade, along with thirty one other suspects for cultism and armed robbery terrorising different communities in Yenagoa.

State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Asuquo Mba, said the teenage suspected cultist is a Junior Secondary School pupil arrested as a member of the notorious Greenlander cult group.

Asuquo, while parading the suspects before newsmen in Yenagoa, confirmed that suspects cut across various cult groups existing in the state.”

He said 12 are Greenlander; 11, Icelanders; six, Bobos, three, Bargers and two Vikings members.”

He said the suspects were arrested within two weeks of a special security operations launched at the height of  ‎noticeable increase in crime and criminality in the State.

“A month ago, we noticed an increase in crime rate and after the visit of the Deputy Inspector
General of Police(DIG), the Bayelsa command re-strategise with the communities providing useful information significant success was achieved.”

“We also discovered that the issue of cultism and armed robbery was going viral in the state, therefore both are serious offence before the law, but we ceased this opportunity to warn that Bayelsa state was not created for cultism and we prepared to flush out the menace in the state.”

Asuquo commended the various community Vigilante groups for assisting the state police command in policing the state.

He also announced the arrest of four suspected armed robbers in the killing of two Policemen and attack on a Cameraman working with the Nigerian Television Authority, Oladele Olatunji at Ebis Junction area of the State.

According to him,” On the 7th of April at about 11am, the NTA cameraman was robbed at Ebis junction by three armed men who used a tricycle with the Ministry of Transport registration number 1517 and carted away a Intel Phone valued at N19,000 and a sum of N50,000 cash.”

“Two of the suspected robbers, Emmanuel Francis and Faith Francis were arrested at the popular filling station known as Sobaz.”

He, however, noted that the command is irrevocably committed to rid the state of crime and criminality in order to promote peace in the state.