The Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested two suspected cultists and recovered two locally made pistols, two rounds of live 9mm ammunition and suspected illicit drugs following a cult-related attack that claimed the life of a suspected gang member in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Musa Mohammed, ANIPR, disclosed this in a statement issued in Yenagoa on Thursday.
According to the statement, the incident occurred at about 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, when one Ebube Jonathan, a 200-level student of the Department of Management Science at Niger Delta University, Amassoma, and an alleged member of the Black Axe Confraternity, was attacked by unidentified assailants along Kabaka Street in the community.
The police said the victim was reportedly hacked with a machete and shot before he was rushed for medical attention, where he was later confirmed dead by a medical doctor.
DSP Mohammed said a swift follow-up operation by operatives of the Amassoma Division led to the arrest of two suspects at about 4:00 p.m. on the same day.
The suspects were identified as Godswin Adobu, 24, a 300-level student of Fine and Applied Arts in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Niger Delta University, and Tarilaefa Fesingha, 21.
According to the police spokesperson, the suspects were arrested at Ending Pele, Amassoma, where they had allegedly mobilised to avenge the killing of their gang member.
The operation also led to the recovery of two locally made pistols, two live rounds of 9mm ammunition and suspected illicit drugs.
The Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command, warned criminal elements to desist from cult-related and other unlawful activities or be prepared to face the full weight of the law.
He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to tackling cultism and other violent crimes across the state and appealed to residents to continue providing timely and credible information to the police to support ongoing efforts to rid Bayelsa of criminality.
The police said investigations into the incident are ongoing.
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