Panic as cultists kill Ijaw activist in Bayelsa

There is a rising panic in the Koluama community of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State following the killing of the clan Chairman of the Movement for the Survival of the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality (MOSIEND) by gunmen suspected to be cultists on Sunday.

The deceased, simply identified as ‘Comrade Big J’ also known as ‘Don Cici’, was shot at close range around 7 am on Sunday at the Osuale market on his way to pick up money from the local money transfer agent through boat transportation, Daily Trust learnt.

According to youths in the area, Comrade Big J was a dedicated Ijaw youth advocate and also a strong member of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) until he left the council after the last National Executive election.

A source in the Koluama community said though Comrade Big J is a known advocate of peace and welfare for Ijaw youths, those suspected to have killed him were cultists who felt he crossed into their territory. He said: “I suspect that all these small cult boys that do not know him and his struggle for their welfare must have shot him.

“It may be a territorial killing without regard to the fact that he has staked his life for the struggle towards improved welfare for Ijaw youths.”

The Chairman of the Southern Ijaw Forum of MOSIEND, Comrade Mathew Ebikibuna, condemned the killing, describing it as barbaric.

He called on security agencies in the state to ensure that those involved in the killing are brought to justice.

The police spokesman in Bayelsa State, SP Asinim Butswat, said the matter was not reported to the police.