Police Parade 13-Year-Old, Others For Cultism, Armed robbery

The Bayelsa State Police Command  paraded a 13-year-old boy, Master FearGod Oweipade, along with 36 other suspects in connection with cultism and armed robbery.

The suspects were said to have been terrorising the various parts of the state. The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Asuquo Amba, said the suspected teenage cult member is a student of a Junior Secondary School in Yenagoa and a member of the notorious cult group, the Greenlanders.

Asuquo, while parading the suspects at the state command headquarters in Yenagoa, said the suspects were arrested from different secret cult groups namely: Greenlanders, Icelanders, Bobos, Baggers and Vikings. He said 12 were Greenlanders, 11 were Icelanders, six were Bobos, three were Bargers and two were Vikings and others were robbers.


He said the suspects were arrested within two weeks of a special security operation launched at the height of ‎noticeable increase in crimes state.

Asuquo stated, “A month ago, we noticed an increase in crime rate and after the visit of the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of South-South, the command restrategized and reduced it. With communities and security synergy, we have achieved successes.

“We also discovered that the issue of cultism in the state goes along with armed robbery. It also led the command to believe that cultism is close offence to armed robbery. But we warn that Bayelsa State was not created for cultists and we are out to smoke them out.”

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

He also announced the arrest of some suspected armed robbers that allegedly killed two policemen as well as those who attacked a Cameraman working with the Nigerian Television Authority, Oladele Olatunji, at Ebis Junction in Yenagoa.

Asuquo said,”On the 7th of April at about 11 am, the NTA cameraman was robbed at Ebis junction by three armed men who used a tricycle with the Ministry of Transport number plate 1517 and carted away an Intel phone valued at N19,000 and N50,000 cash.

“Two of the suspected robbers, Emmanuel Francis and Faith Francis were arrested at a popular petrol station, Sobaz.”

One of the suspected cultists, who gave his name simply Preye, said he was lured into the cultism by his peer group, saying, “I have gained nothing from it since I joined our group, the Greenlanders.”