Residents of Yenagoa now live in palpable fear and tension as cult-related killings, robberies, and violence have become a daily occurrence in the state capital, once regarded as the most peaceful in the Niger Delta.
Hardly a day passes without news of a killing or robbery at night, just as cult groups parade the streets with guns and machetes in broad daylight, either searching for rival cult members or victims to steal from, causing fear among residents.
At Amarata and Yenezue-Gene, four people were reportedly killed by gang members, while a young man in his late 20s was killed on Friday after gunmen broke into his house in the early hours. Three other persons were shot dead at Yenezue-Gene after being dispossessed of their belongings in separate incidents.
In Amarata and major parts of the state capital, shops close as early as 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., while the streets are deserted by 8 p.m. Even at that, most residents sleep with one eye open, as sounds of gunshots often disrupt their sleep.
It’s now a common sight to see people run at the slightest sound of gunfire or when they see a group of boys approaching, causing daily panic among residents.
Another dimension was added to the palpable tension on Saturday when unidentified gunmen abducted a State High Court Judge, Justice E.G. Umokoro, at the Ekeki area of Yenagoa.
He was kidnapped in front of a popular eatery known as Kilimanjaro at about 7 p.m. after a struggle.
The judge, according to many legal practitioners in the state, was in the company of two of his daughters to buy a loaf of bread from the eatery before the gunmen struck.
He was described as a confident judge who usually drove himself around town without designated security during off-duty hours. He was also a former State Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Eyewitnesses at the eatery and those across at Ekeki Park confirmed that the abducted judge was trailed to the eatery by the armed men dressed in full police combat regalia with masks covering their faces.
Two of the men were seen alighting from a Nissan Hilux vehicle and tapping on the car window, which was rolled down by the judge, who was on a call with his mobile phone.
One eyewitness said he overheard the men telling the judge, “Our Oga wants to see you,” but the judge responded, “Are you aware I am a judge? Tell your Oga to come and see me here.”
The two armed men were seen walking away from his vehicle and making some calls to an unknown person. They later returned, knocked loudly on the judge’s car, forcefully opened the door, and dragged him out.
The judge, who seemed offended, was seen struggling with the gunmen while passersby watched in awe.
He was eventually forced into the white Nissan Hilux vehicle after much struggle. The incident lasted over 50 minutes.
A military personnel was sighted on the close-circuit camera of the eatery contemplating intervening in the altercation between the judge and the gunmen, “but thought better of it.”
However, a loud gunshot fired into the ground made the decision for him, and he scampered back into the eatery to avoid getting killed.
“I thought they were police or men of the DSS. But they were not carrying that funny (uzzi) rifle like the DSS, neither was their uniform marked ‘Police’. But they wore black on black with bulletproof jackets like the police. After the real police arrived, many people realized those others were kidnappers,” an eyewitness said.
Some staff of the eatery told newsmen that, in the midst of the struggle, the kidnapped judge’s mobile phone and a pouch containing his identity cards, ATM cards, and National ID card fell. Two mobile phones belonging to the kidnappers also fell.
A police source at the Ekeki Divisional Headquarters corroborated the claims, stating that a passerby picked up the judge’s phone and handed it to the police.
Contacted on the development, the spokesman of the Bayelsa State Police Command, Mohammed Musa, confirmed the incident and said the command has started a discreet investigation.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Police Command has confirmed that the killer of the four-year-old boy, Godspower Ebisimiagh, also known as Bobby, is a member of a notorious cult group.
He was reportedly contracted to procure a boy for a charm-related human ritual.
According to the police, although an autopsy has been ordered on the corpse of the deceased boy, a discreet investigation is ongoing to verify the claims that the killer was paid the alleged sum of a million naira to kill the boy.
The suspect, who spoke with journalists in police custody, confirmed that he is 24 years old and a member of the notorious Greenlanders cult gang.
He, however, denied being paid N1 million to kill and bring the boy for cult-related ritual. “I was not paid to bring the boy for ritual,” he said.
On why he murdered the 6-year-old boy and kept the corpse in a sack, Bobby, whose head was wrapped in a heavily blood-stained bandage after a mob tried to lynch him, said he was on drugs when he smashed the boy on the floor and kept the remains in a sack.
“On that fateful day, I took ice (cocaine), and while I was eating with the boy, I stood up and smashed him on the floor,” he said.
A claim one of the senior policemen contradicted, accusing him of lacing the food given to the boy with poison: “If he smashed the boy on the floor, why was there no sign of injury on the body?”
A question Bobby could not answer as at the time our correspondent left the State Police Headquarters.
The State Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, while speaking with our correspondent, said he allowed media interaction with the suspect to dismiss the claim of a cover-up or that he had died in police custody after the angry mob tried to lynch him.
He confirmed that the police are investigating the allegations of the suspect being contracted to procure a small boy for human sacrifice by his cult group. “We are also conducting an autopsy to know if the food given to the boy was laced with poison.”
He said he has assured gender advocacy groups and the Federation of Women Lawyers, who earlier paid a courtesy visit to the deceased boy’s family, that due diligence would be followed to ensure justice.
Recall that 6-year-old Muhammadu Bilah was allegedly murdered last Tuesday by Godspower Ebisimiagh, also known as Bobby, at the Aritalin area of Ovom in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking on insecurity in the state over the last six months, former Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) President, Udengs Eradiri, said over 40 persons had lost their lives to cult-related killings in the last four months.
He called on the State Governor, Sen. Douye Diri—whom he accused of remaining silent since the unholy incidents began—to take decisive action to end the cult war. (The Guardian)
