Suspected armed cult members have invaded the commercial office of a telecom giant, MTN, along DSP Alamieyeseigha Way in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, killing a customer alleged to be a rival cult member.
The murdered customer, identified as Victor Abasi, aged 28, is said to be an indigene of Ogu town in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
It was learnt that the deceased was placed on the wanted list by the members of the rival cult group, Greenlanders, over his alleged involvement in a bloody clash in Swali area of the state capital early in the year.
An eyewitness, who spoke in confidence, said the deceased had almost finished with his documentation on SIM card validation at the MTN office when the cultists invaded the office and chased after him.
The source said: “We noticed armed boys invade the MTN office and we took to our heels. The deceased jumped out and scaled the fence. But the cultists went after him and descended on him with different dangerous weapons.
“We later learnt that the deceased was a suspected member of a group known as Bobos.”
The killing of Victor Abasi has snowballed into a gun battle between the Greenlanders and Bobos in Amarata, Ekeki, Swali, and other areas of Yenagoa metropolis.
A resident of Imgbi Road, who pleaded anonymity, claimed that armed Bobos invaded the area on Monday night in search of rival groups.
The source said: “They said some cult groups killed their ‘senior man’ and they are out to retaliate.”
Recall that rival cult groups at Tombia and Amarata areas had in the last few days engaged in bloody clashes over revenue collection, rivalry and the battle for supremacy.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Bayelsa State Command, Asinim Butswat, said the incident had not been reported to the police.
