By Samuel Oyadongha

YENAGOA—THE police in Bayelsa State, yesterday, paraded 43 suspects, among them a 13-year-old boy, who were arrested for cultism, which the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Asuquo Amba, said was closely connected to robbery.

The teenager, a junior secondary school student, according to the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Asuquo Amba, was a member of the notorious Greenlander cult group.

L-R Ag. Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, Ahmed Magaji and Police Public Relation Officer, Nnamdi Omoni addressing journalist over the arrest of suspects. Photo. Mwankpa Chijioke

The commissioner, while parading the suspects before newsmen at the command headquarters in Yenagoa, said: “12 of the suspects are members of Greenlander cult; 11, Icelanders; six, Bobos; three Bargers, and two Vikings.”

According to Amba, they were arrested within two weeks of a special security operation.

He said: “A month ago, we noticed an increase in crime rate and after the visit of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, the Bayelsa Command restrategised and reduced it. With community security participation, we have achieved successes.

“We also discovered that the issue of cultism in the state go along with robbery. Bayelsa State was not created for cultism and we are out to get them.”

He commended the various community vigilante groups for assisting the command in policing the state.

Amba also announced the arrest of four suspected robbers involved in the killing of two policemen and an attack on a cameraman working with the Nigerian Television Authority, Oladele Olatunji, at Ebis Junction area of the state.

He said: “On April 7, at about 11a.m., the NTA cameraman was robbed at Ebis Junction by three armed men, who used a tricycle with registration number 1517 and carted away an Intel phone valued at N19,000 and N50,000 cash.”

He said two of the suspected robbers were arrested at a popular filling station in the state capital.