No fewer than four persons have been reported dead in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, following fresh bloody clashes involving rival cults.
It was gathered that three persons were killed around Obele Street along Arietalin Road in Ovom suburb, while one person was killed along Osiri Road in the Ekeki area on Saturday.
The fights were said to have unsettled residents of the affected areas as many feared they could be caught in the crossfire.
According to sources, the separate cult clashes started on June 3, with members of the Deywell and Bobos groups reportedly involved in the skirmishes.
Some residents believed that the recent battles were a result of a supremacy tussle over ‘territorial encroachment’.
However, unconfirmed reports claimed that the fights were caused by funds allegedly released to the groups by some politicians.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incidents, saying the police had arrested four suspects.
He, however, said only two casualties were recorded.
“We are aware (of the battles). The bodies our men saw and took to the mortuary were two. But we have arrested four persons,” Butswat said.
