Operatives of the Bayelsa State Police Command have intensified the crackdown on warring cult groups in the state, arresting more than 20 suspects in raids across several communities.
The operation, ordered by the State Commissioner of Police, CP Ajao Saka Adewale, has seen police personnel and tactical teams deployed to areas identified as cultism hotspots, including Swali, Akenfa, Down Yenagoa, Agudama and other parts of the state capital.
Our correspondent gathered that the intensified police operation, coupled with warnings issued to community leaders and youths allegedly harbouring cult members, has prompted some communities to openly distance themselves from cult groups and their activities.
Police sources said several suspected cultists, including some allegedly notorious members, had been arrested, while efforts were ongoing to track down others.
However, the shooting of a suspected cultist during a police operation in the Onopa area of Yenagoa has generated controversy, with some indigenes accusing members of the anti-cult team of indiscriminate arrests and shootings.
The protesters also alleged that the police officer who shot the suspect, as well as the informant who allegedly identified him as a member of the Vikings confraternity and accused him of selling illicit drugs, belonged to a rival cult group known as Bobos.
They called on CP Adewale to investigate the allegations and determine whether any police personnel in the state have links to cult groups.
The young man, who was reportedly operating a Point-of-Sale (POS) business while allegedly selling illicit drugs, was shot on Tuesday during a police raid.
Police authorities, however, said the suspect was receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, and was not dead as earlier rumoured.
The development followed renewed cult violence in Yenagoa at the weekend, during which no fewer than five persons were feared killed.
The clash, which reportedly erupted on Friday between rival cult groups identified as Bobos and Greenlanders, resulted in killings in parts of Agudama, Obele and the Back of St. Peters area of the state capital.
Sources said the renewed violence had disrupted the peace accord previously reached among some cult groups under the former leadership of the State Police Command.
Following the development, CP Adewale ordered an intensified crackdown on cultism and cult-related violence across the state, warning that there would be no sacred cows.
The commissioner directed Divisional Police Officers and tactical commanders to increase patrols in vulnerable areas, identify emerging threats and act swiftly on credible intelligence concerning planned clashes, initiation ceremonies and recruitment activities.
He also directed the police formations to sustain operations aimed at dismantling cult networks and preventing further violence in the state.