Police in Nigeria’s Bayelsa state have arrested two suspects after a Niger Delta University student was killed in what authorities described as a suspected cult related attack in Amassoma, a university town in the country’s oil rich southern region.
The victim, Ebube Jonathan, 20, a 200 level Management Science student, was attacked on Tuesday afternoon along Kabaka Street in Amassoma, according to the Bayelsa State Police Command. Police said he was hacked with machetes and shot by unidentified attackers before he was confirmed dead by a doctor.
Jonathan was suspected by police to be a member of the Black Axe confraternity, a group authorities have linked to violent clashes in parts of Nigeria. Police have not said who carried out the attack, and investigations are ongoing.
Police spokesperson DSP Musa Mohammed said officers from the Amassoma Division arrested two suspects later on Tuesday while they were allegedly preparing to retaliate over Jonathan’s killing. The suspects were identified as Godswin Adobu, 24, a 300 level Fine and Applied Arts student at Niger Delta University, and Tarilaefa Fesingha, 21.
According to police, the suspects were arrested in the Ending Pele area of Amassoma. Officers recovered two locally made pistols, two rounds of 9mm ammunition and suspected illicit drugs during the operation, the command said.
Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police Iyamah Daniel Edebor said the command would continue operations against cult-related violence and other crimes across the state. He urged residents to provide information that could assist police investigations and help prevent further attacks.
Violence linked to student confraternities has remained a recurring problem in parts of Nigeria. Groups that began as campus organizations decades ago have, in some cases, been accused by authorities of involvement in violent crimes, including killings and armed clashes.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about security around Niger Delta University, where previous reports of cult-related violence have affected the university community. Police said the investigation into Jonathan’s death continues as authorities work to identify those responsible for the attack.
