Cult members disarm policeman on duty in Edo

About 20 people are said to have died in the cult war rocking Edo State and despite the state government’s intervention, the violence does not seem to be cooling down at all.

Students were gun down in broad daylight at the University of Benin last week and on Saturday night, suspected cult members bravely snatched a rifle from a police inspector attached to the Surveillance/Anti-Robbery Squad Team A of Ogidan Police Station.

The officer had been on duty with his colleagues barely 50 metres from the police station when the incident happened.

According to reports, police authorities might have remanded the officer after the incident which occurred at about 7.30 p.m. barely 24 hours after, a youth leader in Ova community in Egor Council, Victor Odigie, was reported to have been trailed by three masked men into a bush path leading to his house and shot dead inside his Mercedes Benz car.

So far 10 people have been arrested since the cult crisis began.

Edo State Police Commissioner, Folorunsho Adebanjo, described the killings as unacceptable and vowed that the police would handle the situation.

“We are not relaxing at all. We are in search of the leaders; some persons have been arrested while some are on the run. The killings will stop because our members are all on alert now. I can assure you that anybody arrested will be dealt with seriously,” Adebanjo said.
All security agencies in the state are concerned. The governor is equally concerned, residents of the state are concerned; so we will not relent to stop this madness. It is very sad that people no longer value human lives, it is sad.”
The reported clash between the rival cults suspected to be members of Eiye and Black Axe Confraternities started about six days ago.

Also, The Guardian gathered that members of the rival cult group went to the house of one of the suspects currently on the run, whose father was said to be a member of one of the warring groups, to resolve issues bordering on money. It was learnt that while they were settling the issue, the suspect went upstairs and came back with a pump-action gun and shot a member of the rival cult group on the leg.

His colleagues rushed the victim to the hospital while the suspect fled.

Consequently, colleagues of the victim mobilised and went for reprisal attack, visiting the homes of members of the rival cult group.

It was learnt that the skirmish, which led to the various attacks, started from Ogbelaka area of Benin City and spread to Idu Owena, after Ugbowo, Isihor, Ugbiyoko, Textile Mill Road, New Benin and Igbesanwa areas.

The development led to the convening of an emergency security meeting by Governor Adams Oshiomhole where he charged security operatives to fish out the killers, which led to the arrest of the 10 persons. Nevertheless, efforts are still being made to find peaceful resolution to the crisis.