Police arrest alleged notorious cult leader in Rivers

Suspected notorious cult leader Barikui Amanyie, 35, has been arrested by a detachment of policemen after a manhunt to capture him was declared.

Spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the arrest of the Iceland cult leader in a statement in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

She said that Amanyie, popularly known as ‘Lawyer’ and his gang, were responsible for several attacks and killings of innocent victims in the state.

“Amanyie, who hails from Kaanii in the Khana area of Rivers, has been on the command’s watchlist since December 31, 2021, after he and five others murdered Mr Lioneda Lebari.

“Lebari was tracked by the gang after he withdrew his annual savings of N150,000 from a local thrift collector.

“The deceased was tracked to Oil Mill Junction, attacked, robbed, and stabbed multiple times by Amanyie and his gang before they (hoodlums) left him to die from his wounds,” she said.

Iringe-Koko said after the matter was reported to the police, a manhunt was launched to arrest the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

“Upon his resumption of duty, Commissioner of Police Olatunji Disu directed all tactical units and divisions to intensify efforts to apprehend all wanted criminals on the command’s watchlist.

“Before Amanyie’s arrest, he had been hiding and switching hideouts regularly to evade arrest. However, on December 20, our anti-kidnapping unit responded to a tip-off and apprehended the suspect in his hideout in the Eleme area of the state,” she added.