By Attah Ede
The Bayelsa State police command, on Sunday, confirmed the arrest of four suspected cyber fraudsters also known as “Yahoo Boys” and 13 othe suspected cultists in connection with the alleged killing of two graduates of the Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa State.
The State Command public relations officer, Musa Mohammed confirmed the arrest in a telephone chat with newsmen in Yenagoa, Sunday.
Mohammed disclosed that some of the suspects were arrested by the men of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) the RRS.
He, however, said that the level of involvement of each suspect was under investigation including the four suspected cyber fraudsters popularly known as the Yahoo Boys allegedly sponsored the killings of the two students.
“Yes, some major arrests have been made and the command is investigating,” Mohammed said.
Meanwhile, a senior police officer further told correspondent that the two graduates were killed in the area as a result of renewed cult related attacks in the state.
According to him, the suspects were reportedly arrested at the weekend along the Tombia-Ammasoma road by the men of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) headed by one police officer, CSP Bishop Elemide.
“The State Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, is vigorously working around the clock to stem the worrisome trend.
“We are working serious to end this nefarious cult clashes and bring those involved to book.
“We have made several arrests and the State Government have also provided support and warned politicians to steer clear of influencing the police investigation. Those arrested will face the law.”, Mohammed said
Another senior police senior officer who spoke to journalists on phone under condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press, said the arrest of the suspected killer-cultists was made possible by the ‘stop-and-search’ operation mounted on the road.
According to him, upon receiving the police radio alert of the incident which occurred at Gbarantoru area off Ammassoma road, the RRS squad barricaded the road and intercepted the hoodlums when’s a Suzuki mini-bus was stopped.
“We saw over 13 boys cramped inside the vehicle with blood stains on a few of the suspects. Their machetes were also stained with blood. We immediately suspected they were the ones who carried out the killing.
“Upon questioning, the police discovered that they went to the scene of the crime in two mini-buses. One developed fault while escaping, and they decided to abandon it and use a minibus”, the source said.”
Further police source confirmed that the boys were suspected members of the notorious Vikings cult group and corroborated that the killing of the two university graduates was sponsored by four Yahoo boys.”
Meanwhile, a report has, however, claimed that the two murdered graduates were members of the Neo Black Movement known as Black Axe Aye, while others claimed they were members of the Bobos cult group.
Already, the members of the Vikings in the Bayelsa Varsity and other secondary and higher Institutions of learning in the state capital have reportedly gone into hiding for fear of reprisals.
Some fun seekers in bars and lounges in Yenagoa, the state capital, claimed to have noticed strange movements as some fearsome looking boys have been vigorously searching for rival cult members to take revenge on.
In the last week, some parts of Yenagoa have witnessed strange sounds of gunshots suspected to be an exchange of gunfire among rival cult groups.
On Sunday morning, two rival cult gangs threw the popular commercial hub, Swali ultra-modern market, into confusion with heavy exchange of gunshots, which led to the killing of one person.
While a police source claimed that some gunshots were from policemen chasing the cult boys driving around town in a covered plate-numbered car, others claimed the shooting was among rival cult groups.
