A 15-year-old pupil at the Community Secondary
School, Akenfa-Epie, in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State,
identified only as Emmanuel, has been arrested with a gun.
Emmanuel was allegedly arrested on Monday with a
locally-made pistol during lecture hours.
It was learnt that the teenager was apprehended
while in school uniform by some indigenes of Akenfa community, led by a
vigilance group, and handed over to the police.
The pupil was reportedly searched by the
vigilante youths after he was accused of involvement in some criminal
activities, including robbery.
The school authorities, however, denied that the
suspect was a pupil at the school.
A member of the school management team, who spoke
on condition of anonymity, added that Emmanuel was not arrested in the school.
He said, “The boy was not arrested in the
classroom. The uniform he wore is common among pupils in the state and so, it
is not correct to say that he is a pupil at the school.”
The arrested teenager was handed over to the
Akenfa Police Station for onward transfer to the command headquaters.
The spokesman for the Bayelsa State Police
Command, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the arrest of the teenager.
He said, “The suspected cult member was arrested
with a locally-made pistol on Monday around 9.30am.
“The suspect is 15 years old and a resident of
Agudama area of Yenagoa. Investigation is ongoing.”
It will be recalled that four teenage gunmen,
suspected to be members of an unknown cult, recently attacked a secondary
school in the state capital.
The gunmen, who brandished guns, caused
pandemonium in the school as confused pupils and staff ran in different
directions for safety.
The invasion of the school came a few hours after
the Bayelsa State Government, through the Ministry of Education, expelled seven
pupils over their alleged membership of a cult.
The government had admitted to the existence of
cult activities in both primary and secondary schools in the state, saying it
was making efforts to address the problem.
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