The Bayelsa Police Command on Monday said four members of rival cult groups died in a shootout during a wake in the early hours of Monday.
Mr Asinim Butswat, a Superintendent of Police and spokesman of the Police Command in Bayelsa who confirmed the development, added that normalcy has since been restored following the swift intervention from the nearby Oporoma Division.
“Two rival cult gangs clashed at Lobia Community, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area on 28 December 2020 at about 0230 hours.
“The unfortunate incident led to the death of four cultists. Their identities are yet to be ascertained at the moment.
“The corpses have been deposited at the morgue. Investigations have commenced,” Butswat said.
But a source from the community who witnessed the incident said that a little boy hit by a stray bullet was also one of the victims of the gun battle.
The source said that the gangs attended the event from Ukubie and Azuzuama communities who lost three and one respectively while the little boy hailed from Lobia 1, all neighbouring coastline settlements.
