By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa

The Bayelsa State Police Command has confirmed that last Thursday’s killing of the leader of the notorious cult group, the Bobos, Wanemi Omubo, was carried out by some members of the group in a desperate bid to change its leadership.

The deceased, an indigene of Nembe in Nembe Local Government Area of the state, was also a beneficiary of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) and a leader of the Phase 2 Amnesty beneficiaries in the state.

He was shot dead along Goodnews Street at the Azikoro suburb of Yenagoa, the state capital.

While some residents blamed his death on the raging cult rivalry between the Bobos and the Vikings, others believed the killers may have been mercenaries brought to eliminate him in retaliation.

But the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Francis Izu, at a media briefing on Monday, said the killing of Wanemi was carried out by members of the Bobos group in an intra cult war to profit from a new leadership.

The Commissioner of Police, while assuring the residents of the state of the end of the cult killings in the state, said despite the fact that late Wanemi was a notorious cultist who had a record of crimes, he was killed by his gang members.

He said: “95 per cent of intelligence available to the police showed that he died due to intra cult rivalry about leadership struggle. They took him out and made it look like an intercultural rivalry to profit from his death.

“It is on good authority that the deceased has been involved in nefarious activity. The last altercation with the police is over the issue of illegal gun possession. He was controversially influenced to be let off the hook and that is why I have always said when you influence the release of a criminal off the hook, you are building a disastrous effect.”

The Police Commissioner also announced the arrest of over nine persons for various crimes including cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery, unlawful possession of firearms and murder.

In one of the cases, a 50-year-old native of Gombe State, Mohammed Adamu was arrested alongside Adiamakubo Orubo, 37 years, over the alleged disappearance of one Ashiru Ishiaku, aged 26, a native of Kano State along with his tricycle on the 29th of April, 2025.

Also arrested was a member of the notorious Island cult group, David Ngo, 36 -year old, native of Brass Local Government Area over the alleged stabbing to death of one Goodwill Ovuru at Agudama Ekpetiama on the 16th of April, 2025.

At Onopa community in Yenagoa Local Government, one Monday Daniel, 28 years , was arrested by the police for alleged armed robbery attack on Amarachi Emeachi at her residence around Revenue House Onopa, “a group of four men armed with guns dispossessed her of her Redmi phone valued at N180,000.

“On the 4th of May, 2025, one Endurance Odambe Chinedu, 24 years, from Ndokwa-East, Delta State was arrested at Agbia community in Yenagoa at 1pm with ten live cartridges. During interrogation, the suspect confessed to being a member of the Black Axe confraternity also known as Aye cult group. During the execution of search warrant, a battle axe, a black beret bearing the cult group insignia and crusher was recovered in his house.”