Bayelsa police report 20 arrests in crackdown on suspected cultists

Bayelsa police spokesperson Musa Mohammed says 20 suspected cultists have been arrested in operations across the state.

The raids cover Swali, Akenfa, Down Yenagoa, Agudama and other communities. Commissioner of Police Ajao Saka Adewale ordered divisional and tactical teams to intensify patrols and act on intelligence about planned clashes, initiations and recruitment.

Mohammed gave the figure of 20 in a Thursday telephone interview reported by Punch, and said the commissioner would issue a formal statement. The broader accounts in Punch and Daily Trust described more than 20 arrests.

The operation follows renewed violence in Yenagoa. Punch reported at least five people feared killed in weekend clashes; Daily Trust also reported deaths in clashes during the week. Those reports do not establish a final casualty total.

In Onopa, residents protested over the alleged shooting and arrest of a young man during a police operation, according to Punch. The protesters accused officers of indiscriminate arrests.

Police said the man was alive and receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, rejecting reports that he had died. Daily Trust reported the police account that he was shot at his Point of Sale stand on Wednesday.

Adewale directed officers to sustain the operations and asked residents to provide information about suspected cult activity, promising that the information would be treated confidentially.

Sources: Punch, Daily Trust