Law enforcement detains 14 individuals in connection with assault on Bayelsa village

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Police operatives in Bayelsa State, in collaboration with the Joint Task Force (JTF), have arrested 14 suspects and recovered firearms over the last month’s attack on Ogboinbiri community in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, where one person was killed and several others injured.

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The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Musa Mohammed, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

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Mohammed, who said the operatives acted on credible intelligence to arrest the suspects, added that they recovered four pump-action guns, three packets of cartridges and four operational speedboats mounted with engines suspected to have been used for criminal activities along the waterways.

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Recall that Governor Douye Diri had, last week, dethroned the paramount ruler of Ogboinbiri community and his council over the crisis.

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Before then, the state government had imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the community to forestall further loss of lives.

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Mohammed said, “On May 10, 2026, at about 2.30pm, police operatives attached to the command and personnel of the Joint Task Force, acting on credible intelligence, carried out a search warrant on the premises of one ‘Lionface,’ identified as a loyalist of the former youth president of Ogboinbiri community, Mr Pere Experience, and the deputy paramount ruler of the community.”

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He said the operation led to the recovery of firearms and speedboats, while 14 suspects were arrested in connection with the incident.

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He added that efforts were ongoing to arrest the principal suspect, Lionface, who remains at large.

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The Commissioner of Police in the state, Iyamah Daniel Edebor, commended the operatives for the successful operation and reassured residents of the command’s commitment to sustaining the ongoing crackdown on criminal elements across the state.

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