Police arrest two suspected cultists over NDU student’s murder

The Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested two suspected cultists following the killing of a student of the Niger Delta University, Amassoma, during a suspected cult clash in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

Police said the suspects were apprehended while allegedly mobilising to retaliate over the death of a suspected member of their gang who was killed in the attack.

The deceased, identified as 20-year-old Ebube Jonathan, a 200-level Management Science student of NDU, was reportedly attacked by yet-to-be-identified assailants along Kabaka Street in Amassoma at about 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

According to the police, Jonathan, who was suspected to be a member of the Black Axe confraternity, was hacked with machetes and shot before he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Musa Mohammed, said operatives of the Amassoma Division launched a swift operation after the incident, leading to the arrest of two suspects.

The suspects were identified as Godswin Adobu, 24, a 300-level Fine and Applied Arts student in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Niger Delta University, and Tarilaefa Fesingha, 21.

Mohammed said the duo was arrested at Ending Pele in Amassoma while allegedly mobilising to avenge Jonathan’s death.

He added that the operatives recovered two locally made pistols, two live rounds of 9mm ammunition and suspected illicit drugs from the suspects.

The statement read, “The Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested two suspected cultists and recovered two locally made pistols with two live 9mm ammunitions following a cult-related incident that claimed the life of a suspected cult member in Amassoma Community, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

“On Tuesday, 7th July 2026, at about 1400 hours, one Ebube Jonathan ‘m’, a 200-Level student of Management Science, Niger Delta University, Amassoma, and a suspected member of the Black Axe Confraternity, was attacked by yet-to-be-identified assailants along Kabaka Street, Amassoma. The victim was macheted, shot, and later confirmed dead by a medical doctor.

“Following a swift follow-up operation at about 1600 hours on the same day, operatives attached to Amassoma Division responded promptly and arrested two suspects: Godswin Adobu ‘m’, 24 years old, a 300-Level student of Fine and Applied Arts, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Niger Delta University, and Tarilaefa Fesingha ‘m’, 21 years old. They were both arrested at Ending Pele, Amassoma, where they had allegedly mobilised in an attempt to avenge the death of their gang member.”

The Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command, Iyamah Daniel Edebor, reiterated the command’s resolve to tackle cult-related violence and other criminal activities across the state.

He warned criminal elements to abandon unlawful acts or face the full weight of the law and appealed to residents to continue providing timely and credible information to support ongoing efforts to combat crime.

Cult-related violence has remained a recurring security challenge in Amassoma, home to the Niger Delta University.

Rival confraternities have been linked to several violent clashes in recent years, resulting in deaths, injuries and heightened security concerns within the university community and surrounding areas.