Police Arrest 124 Suspected Cultists In Edo
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that the Edo State Police Command said its operatives have arrested 124 suspected cultists and 40 suspected kidnappers within the last three months.
It said 11 suspects were apprehended for armed robbery and other violent crimes while 46 were arrested with firearms, dangerous weapons and cult paraphernalia.
Ondo Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, who spoke at a press briefing in Benin City, said the arrest was made possible through coordinated intelligence-driven operations, community support, and inter-agency collaboration.
Agbonika listed items recovered to include 45 assorted firearms, including AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns and 163 rounds of live ammunition.
The Edo CP said 62 kidnapped victims were rescued from their abductors, saying a 12-year old girl was killed by her abductors.
He said, “In various operations, 40 suspected kidnappers were arrested. Eleven other suspects were arrested for armed robbery and other violent crimes.
“Cultism remains a major concern in parts of the state. The Command has intensified its efforts through the ongoing house to house search of cultists and has so far arrested 124 suspected cultists, many of whom have confessed to belonging to proscribed confraternities such as the Maphites, Ayes, NBM, Jurists Confraternity and Eiye.
“Forty-six (46) suspects were apprehended with firearms in Benin, while others were arrested in Jattu, Auchi, Ekpoma, Igbanke, Ikoro community etc with dangerous weapons and cult paraphernalia. These arrests have helped to significantly reduce the wave of inter-cult violence that recently plagued parts of the state.”
