By Emem Idio
YENAGOA – COMMISSIONER of Police Bayelsa state command, Mr Don Awunah, has disclosed that there were over 50 organised cult groups in the state and reiterated the commitment of the command to clamp down on cult activities in the state.

Ssuspected cultists arrested alongside late Akeem Abudu before they were arraigned
Awunah, who stated this yesterday during an interaction meeting with community leaders during an official visit to the Sagbama Local Government Area Police Area Command, as part his familiarisation tour of Police formations in the state, identified cultism as the major drive behind most violent crimes in the state.

He said, “After some analysis of crime profile, we discovered that cultism drives most of the violent crimes including rape, armed robbery, kidnapping among others. There are over 50 organised cult groups in this state, but we are on top of the job and that is why we have launched the “Operation Safer Bayelsa” and created synergy among stakeholders to fight cultism.

“I must believe that we are winning the war but the war cannot be successfully won without the support of community leaders and the youths who are the vanguard of the society. The community leaders are the ones that know the land and the people and they know people who are involved in crimes.”

In his remarks, a youth president in the area, Mr Ebidewei Amboro, assured the police of community leaders’ support to clampdown on cult activities in the area and described cultism as a huge threat to the lives of the people in the locality.