Police arrest 53 suspected cultists in Edo
The Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Dankwara, has said that 53 male persons have been arrested in connection with cult-related activities in the state.
The Commissioner also warned citizens and organisations in the state to stop backing cult groups by providing logistics for the cultist’s nefarious activities.
In a press statement released on Thursday, the CP also expressed dismay over the rising cult clashes in the state and urged the actors to desist from their deadly activities or be smoked out.
He noted that the police command has started taking discrete steps to rid the state of these criminal elements.
The statement reads, “It would be recalled that recently there was an upsurge in secret cult activities and killings in the state where some faceless cultists had clandestine meetings in hotels, apartments, lounges, houses, drinking joints in different locations in the city and discussed how to attack and kill their perceived rival secret cult members, which resulted into the killing of some persons.
“This necessitated my meeting with my management team and command Tactical teams. In the end, I gave a marching order to them to go into the streets, smoke out the cultists, and arrest them all.
“On Thursday, 13th July 2023, the Command’s anti-cultism, anti-kidnapping, and cybercrime unit, in collaboration with the Edo State Security Network, while acting on credible information arrested a total number of 53 male suspects in different locations. The suspects have been profiled, investigated, and processed to court, and as I speak, they are in prison
“In a bid to expand ideas in finding solutions in fighting the scourge of secret cult activities and killings in the state, I had a meeting with some concerned citizens in my office and after a peaceful deliberation, we came out with some credible and workable solutions, of which I cannot disclose at this meeting until they are executed and targeted results are met.
“I want to use this medium to warn all secret cult members of different cult groups to stop the killings or vacate the state. I also want to warn all the state actors, non-state actors, and sponsors of the various secret cult confraternities who give out their monies, Hotels, apartments, lounges, Houses, Drinking joints, or any other dwelling place as support for clandestine meetings to withdraw their patronages or be ready to face arrest, prosecution in court and such properties aforementioned sealed-up through the instrument of the law.
“The good people of Edo State, and the general public, I want to assure you that this operation to get rid of cultism and other heinous crimes in the state is a continuing process and by the grace of God we will achieve it.”
