…Residents flee into fear as rival cult groups reportedly launch manhunt across Yenagoa neighbourhoods
There was panic in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, following the suspected killing of a rival cult member whose mutilated corpse was reportedly stuffed into a sack and abandoned in a public place.
The sack containing the body of the unidentified victim was allegedly dumped in front of a First City Monument Bank (FCMB) branch at Obele Junction, on the outskirts of the state capital.
Sources said the incident occurred on Monday night, while the corpse was discovered on Tuesday morning.
Investigations by our correspondent indicated that the deceased was suspected to have defected from the notorious Greenlanders cult group to its rival, the Bobos confraternity.
He was reportedly accused of leading members of his new group on a loyalty mission to attack and kill a former member of the Greenlanders at the back of Amarata community.
The development was said to have provoked members of the Greenlanders, who allegedly lured him out through a female acquaintance before attacking him with machetes, leaving him with multiple fatal injuries.
Some residents of the Obele area confirmed that the corpse was found carefully stuffed inside a sack soaked in blood and abandoned near the FCMB branch.
Concerned youths and members of the local vigilante group reportedly alerted the police, who subsequently evacuated the corpse.
However, the killing has heightened tension across several neighbourhoods in Yenagoa, with residents of Sand Road, Aritalin, Gwegwe and Obele reportedly experiencing restless nights amid fears of possible reprisal attacks.
Sources said suspected members of the rival cult groups had been moving around the affected communities in search of one another, raising concerns about the possible escalation of cult-related violence.
The latest incident has also renewed concerns about the security situation in the state capital, particularly following efforts by the Bayelsa State Police Command, under the leadership of Commissioner of Police Ajao Saka Adewale, to sustain the relative peace recorded in recent times.
Residents have called for intensified police patrols, intelligence gathering and proactive security measures to prevent further bloodshed and restore confidence among residents.
As of the time of filing this report, the identity of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding the killing had yet to be officially confirmed by the police.