May 13, (THEWILL) – A fresh outbreak of cult-related violence has claimed the life of Abinna Precious Briggs, a student of Niger Delta University (NDU), who had recently completed his final examinations and signed out ahead of his project defense.
Briggs was reportedly shot on the night of May 12, 2025, in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
According to accounts shared on social media, he was attacked by suspected cultists and rushed to a nearby medical facility for urgent treatment.
However, the hospital allegedly declined to admit or treat him due to procedural restrictions surrounding gunshot cases. He later died from his injuries.
Briggs, a native of Rivers State, was awaiting his final clearance from the university.
At the time of filing this report, details of his academic department or faculty were yet to be confirmed, and efforts to reach the State Police Public Relations Officer, Musa Mohammed, proved unsuccessful.
His death adds to the growing toll of cult-related killings that have rocked Bayelsa in recent months.
In January, a wave of violence swept through Yenagoa, particularly in Igbogene and Amarata, where at least four people were killed in clashes involving rival cult groups such as the Greenlanders and Bobos.
In February, Mrs. Christiana Onoakpoma Rose, a trader at the Swali Ultra-Modern Market, was hit by a stray bullet during another cult clash. In a separate incident, 30-year-old Darlington Watson was stoned to death in Agudama-Epie, further highlighting the escalating crisis.
Speaking at a recent press briefing, the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Alonyenu Francis Idu, shed light on internal disputes within cult groups as a key trigger for the violence.
He revealed that a cult member named Wanemi was killed by his own gang over a leadership disagreement.
“It wasn’t an external attack. He was murdered by fellow cultists who no longer supported his leadership,” the Commissioner said.
Idu reaffirmed the police command’s determination to clamp down on cultism, warning that not only active members but also sponsors and sympathisers would be prosecuted.
He stressed that the command would not allow any group to jeopardise the fragile peace in the state.
Despite a ceasefire agreement brokered in January between the police and leaders of various cult groups, recent incidents suggest that the pact has either collapsed or failed to yield meaningful results.
Civil society organisations and community leaders have urged the state government to intensify efforts at curbing youth restiveness by strengthening community policing and creating rehabilitation programmes for cult members willing to renounce violence.
As Bayelsa mourns the loss of yet another promising youth, the spotlight once again turns to security agencies and the state government to restore calm and ensure justice for victims of this worsening crisis.
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
