Police arrest 17 suspected killers of two NDU graduates

No fewer than seventeen suspected cultists have been arrested over their alleged involvement in the killing of two graduates of the Bayelsa State owned Niger Delta University (NDU) Amassoma in renewed cult attack.

It was learned that police operatives arrested the suspects Friday night along the Tombia-Amassoma road in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.

Among those arrested were four suspected cyber fraudsters popularly known as ‘Yahoo-boys’ for allegedly sponsoring the killing of the two students.

A police source who spoke anonymously informed our correspondent that the arrest of the suspected killer cultists was effected following the stop and search mounted on the road by the vigilant men of the Rapid Response Squad, headed by a Chief Superintendent of Police.

It was gathered that upon receiving the police radio alert of the incident, which occurred at Gbarantoru area, off Amassoma road, the RRS squad mounted a stop and search on the road and was rewarded when a Suzuki minibus was stopped.

“We saw over 13 boys cramped inside with blood stains on few of them. And machetes stained with blood. The Police immediately suspected they were the ones that carried out the killing.”

Upon questioning, the Police discovered they had gone to the crime scene in two minibuses. One developed a fault while they were escaping, so they decided to abandon it and use one minibus,” the source said.

When contacted about the development, the Spokesman of the Bayelsa State Police Command, Musa Mohammed, confirmed that some arrests were made by the men of the Rapid Response Squad, and the level of involvement of each suspect is under investigation.

“Yes, some major arrest have been made and the command is investigating,” he said.

Recall that the two varsity graduates were reportedly killed by suspected cultists at Gbarantoru community in Yenagoa council last Friday.

While one of the victims was identified as Ayaokpo Sinclair from Tombia community, the identity of the second could not be immediately ascertained.

According to local sources, both young men were awaiting their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) call-up letters when they were attacked.

In the last week, some parts of Yenagoa, the state capital, have witnessed strange sounds of gunshots suspected to be an exchange of gunfire among rival cult groups.

Again on Sunday morning, two rival cult gangs threw the popular commercial hub of Swali into confusion with a heavy exchange of gunshots, which led to the killing of one person.

However, a senior police officer has assured that the state Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, and his men are working around the clock to stem the worrisome tide.

“We are working serious to end this nefarious cult clashes and bring those involved to book. We have made many arrest and the state government have also provided support and warned politicians to steer clear from influencing the police investigation. Those arrested will face the law,” the source said.