The resurgence of cultism and cult related violence in Yenagoa is giving residents sleepless nights and cause for concern.
Some inhabitants in the Bayelsa State capital who spoke over the issue urged government and security agencies to step up efforts to tackle the menace. In recent times, there has been a spike in cult related violence in Yenagoa.
The renewed cult activities have claimed at least six lives and resulted in a dozen of injuries in at least three separate incidents in Swali, Igbogene and Azikoro axes of the Bayelsa State capital.
In Swali which plays host to the biggest market in the State as well as key government institutions such as the Federal Secretariat, the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board and the Central Bank of Nigeria offices at least four persons were killed and several others injured in an attack by suspected cultists who shot indiscriminately on Easter Sunday.
At Azikoro, an outskirt of Yenagoa, a suspected cultist believed to be the leader of the Bobos cult group, whose identity was given as Olotu Wanemi Omubo, was shot dead by gunmen said to be members of a rival gang few days ago while three others fell to the fatal bullets of armed cultists believed to be members of the notorious Greenlanders group at Igbogene in January this year.
The resurgence of cult related violence and killings in Yenagoa which has experienced relative peace for some years now is causing panic among residents.
Chairman of the Civil Liberties Organisation in Bayelsa State, Mr. Bekinwariye David-West blames poor law enforcement and lack of political will to identify and prosecute culprits as the major factor that has given room for continued cult related violence in the area.
Rights Activist Princess Elizabeth Egbe attributes the rising wave of cult activities among the youths to poor upbringing, poverty and lack of opportunities, advocating reorientation programmes, rehabilitation and skills acquisition for identified cultists to dissuade them from indulging in the vice.
Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Musa Mohammed, a Deputy Superintendent of Police says the Bayelsa Police Command has taken measures to combat the resurgence of cult violence through surveillance, intelligence and arrests of suspected cultists involved in some of the incidents.
The PPRO while assuring residents that cult related violence is being handled, warned cultists to steer clear as they would be fished out, arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.
