This weekly update spotlights organized criminality in the Niger Delta with a focus on criminal violence in Bayelsa State. According to data (see map below), criminal violence caused over 250 fatalities in Bayelsa State between January 2019 and April 2022. Recent incidents indicate a rise in violent criminality in the State, including kidnapping for ransom and clashes between rival cult gangs. In May 2022, for instance, gunmen reportedly kidnapped three residents including a traditional ruler and a 50-year-old woman in Otuabula community, Ogbia LGA. Separately, in May, gunmen reportedly attacked and killed two policemen and three civilians, and inflicted injuries on many others along Idema- Otuabagi Road in Ogbia LGA. In June, four persons were reportedly killed during clashes between cult gangs at different locations in Yenagoa, the state capital. The clash was allegedly triggered by a disagreement over the sharing of cash gifts from politicians in the area. More recently, on June 13, 2022, suspected sea robbers reportedly abducted eight passengers from a speedboat along the Brass-Yenagoa waterways in Brass LGA.
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