00:00Operatives of the Edo State Police Command of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested one Bello Salami at the Benin Airport renamed as Oba Akinsua 2 Airport while the suspected member of Mafite's secret cult group was trying to flee the state after he was allegedly involved in the killing of three persons said to be members of the state vigilante group in the ongoing rising cult war in Edo State where many people have been killed in recent weeks in areas like Auchi and Benin City, the state capital.
00:30According to the Edo State Police Command in a statement issued and made available by the command spokesperson, Moses Yamu on Thursday evening, the fight against cultism and other heinous crimes in Edo State and the bid to restore confidence in the public has been further demonstrated by the Edo State Police Command with the recent successes recorded across the state, especially with the arrest of one Bello Salami, 33 years, member of the Mafite confraternity who was fingered in the
00:59recent killing of three vigilante members along Wire Road in Benin City. The suspect, a confessed Mafite was arrested on the 28th of June 2025 at about 10 o'clock hours at the Benin Airport while attempting to flee the state.
01:15In another development, on the 26th of June 2025 at about 1500 hours, while acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Adu'awa division arrested the duo of Abdullahi Eri Amieta, 18 years and Moses Humphrey, 25 years, all members of the Vikings confraternity.
01:35On the same date at about 1800 hours, operatives of the South Ibi division arrested one Ahmed Hakim, 23 years, a member of the AA confraternity. Further investigation led to the arrest of Williams Coyote, 25 years, David Sylvester, 21 years, Osho Kitipu, 22 years, Emmanuel Munday, 27 years and Daniel Ehishioya, 21 years.
02:03All residents of South Ibi in Etzako West local government area, as well as the recovery of one shotgun, four live cartridges, two battle axes, one cutlass, a bunker of ice, an illicit drug in their possession.
02:18All of them have confessed to being members of the AA confraternity. Similarly, operatives of Aru'awa division led by the DPO acting on actionable intelligence arrested one Ogbe Osigele, 29 years, of Ebho Kulikpoma at Adumbo Aru'awa with a cut-to-size shotgun and two live cartridges.
02:38Efforts are ongoing to apprehend one Odeon Osigele and two others now at large, who are also members of the AA confraternity.
02:47In the same vein on the 28th of June 2025, operatives of the Akpoma area command tracked and arrested one Etzako Odeon, 22 years, at a hotel in Akpoma, through credible information.
03:00Upon immediate search of his vehicle, an unregistered ash-colored Lexus RX 350, one fabricated pistol with two live cartridges were recovered.
03:10The suspect confessed to be the Essen area zonal leader, that is, number one of Neo-Black movement, NBM, aka Black Axe confraternity.
03:21While on the 29th of June 2025 at about 1500 hours, operatives of the Jatou division raided a flashpoint along Ibi Road and arrested one Hamza Umaru, 27 years of Ikebibbo community.
03:35The suspects have confessed to being members of the Vikings confraternity.
03:40On the same note, operatives of Auchi division intercepted and arrested Emanuel Wode, 27 years, Khalifa Kabir 24 years and Ashiru Ahmed, 22 years all of various locations in Auchi in possession of a Jojef Magnum pump action with breach number 23 YT-0083.
03:59The trio disguised as Iron Scraps scavengers with the firearm concealed in like manner.
04:06Lastly, today the 1st of July 2025 at about 1.30 hours, the home of one Jerry Oribor, male, 50 years, at number 6 a Winmandown street off Major Road in the Magba community, was raided based on credible information.
04:22Upon search of his house and premises, one automatic double-barreled shotgun with 10 live cartridges and one face cap, bearing Icon fraternity logo were recovered from him.
04:34The suspect has been taken into custody for further investigation.
04:39All suspects would be arraigned before the court as soon as investigations are concluded.
04:43On this note, the Commissioner of Police CPE Monday Agbonica, FTC reassures the general public that the command remains resolute in the sustained fight against cultism, while calling on the good people of Edo State to go about their lawful businesses and never hesitate to report any suspicious activities around them to the police, the police stated.
05:05We have reported that the policemen in Edo State of Nigeria have arrested seven persons suspected to be members of a secret cult group while the suspects were in the act trying to kill a commercial motorcycle driver also known as a Kada rider at Sapele Road Axis in Benin City.
05:22We have reported that the Edo State Commissioner of Police Monday Agbonica has announced the commencement of house-to-house arrest of people suspected or identified as members of a secret cult group in the south-south geopolitical state of Nigeria.
05:37We have reported that the Edo State Governor Monday Agbonica has called for more stakeholders' supports and actions towards ending secret cult-related killings and other organized violent crimes in the state, stating that the aged non-secret cult war in the south-south state of Nigeria has driven away a lot of investors and as such, Edo State has been at a loss of $1 billion every year.
06:02With statistics, according to the governor showing that the natives of Edo State topped the list of the highest diaspora remittances in Nigeria, but, over 95% of the natives divert the funds to other states to avoid secret cult violence in the state also known as the heartbeat of the nation.
06:20We have reported that the Edo State government led by Governor Monday Agbonica has issued an executive order blacklisting a government-registered acclaimed sociocultural organization, the neo-black movement, NBM as a violent organization among those responsible for violent crimes of high rates of secret cult-related homicide killings in the state, and in a swift reaction, the president of the neo-black movement of Africa, NBM,
06:48Ola Ragunasekakor while speaking with a panel of presenters at Arise News Television during the TV program, accused the governor, Monday Agbonica of allegedly using members of the Black Axe confraternity during his election, adding that the governor never consulted with them to know if members of Black Axe confraternity are also members of the neo-black movement, saying,
07:12the governor is now attacking NBM because of Black Axe, stressing that, Black Axe confraternity is a criminal organization, insisting that, members of the confraternity are never members of the NBM, and shortly after the NBM president's statement,
07:28large group of youths in Edo State led a solidarity protest match to the Edo State Government House in Benin City to express their support and willingness to defend the government policies and actions to stop the massive destructions of lives and creation of young widows and high rates of fatherless children in the state due to secret cult activities.
07:48This, assessments of some of the pro-government policy protesters indicated that some of them are people who may have identified themselves in the past as members of the neo-black movement and they also appeared to be people very loyal to one of the prominent leaders of the NBM,
08:05NBM, Anthony Arden aka Tony Kavaka who trend when he was interviewed about the activities of the NBM in a BBC documentary published by the British Broadcasting Service some years back.
08:18We had reported that, in apparent anger, Edo State Government under the leadership of Governor Munday Okpevolo has issued a serious
08:25warning warning with a strong message sent to the president of the neo-black movement of Africa, NBM,
08:32Oloroguna Sekikor that the Edo State Government has started consultations to enable it take more appropriate legal action against the neo-black movement,
08:42saying, the international headquarters or secretariat of the movement situated at a MAGBA area in Benin City that was demolished last month by the state government,
08:52has been an enclave used for planning and execution of secret cult-related killings by members of the neo-black movement.
09:00The governor also referred to and described as black acts secret cult, probably expressing more anger that the leadership and members of the neo-black movement had the courage to come out publicly to identify themselves with the demolished building.
09:14The governor said they will be made to face prosecution, this, the national president of the neo-black movement,
09:21Oloroguna Sekikor while speaking in reaction to the demolished building on Arise News TV program, said,
09:28the movement is not black acts, emphasizing that black acts is a criminal organization while the neo-black movement is a social-cultural organization that promote and engage in humanitarian services.
09:40It would be recalled that we had reported that the Edo State Police Command of Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the arrest of 95 persons
09:49in connection with the killing of more than 15 people between April 25, 2025 and now in the renewed deadly and bloody apparent supremacy secret cult war
09:59in the state among members of the black acts confraternity aka mafite confraternity aka great men and IA confraternity aka anads which started with the killing of a physiotherapist,
10:12simply identified as Alex, and another individual at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH Backgate,
10:20or BOA, in Benin, with the Edo State Government led by Governor Munday Okpebolo launching a retaliatory war against businesses and individuals allegedly aiding secret cult killings in the state,
10:34thus, sealed off Eterno Hotel, planned to demolish the hotel owed by People's Democratic Party, PDP Chieftain, Honorable Matthew Idaia Kemwen,
10:43who was the Director General of Aswan, Ogie, a campaign organization in the last governorship election in the state,
10:51on the ground that a particular secret cult group members gathered at the Eterno Hotel to plan their recent killings in the state,
10:58and in addition, the Edo State Governor also sealed off and marked a residential building for demolition also owed by a PDP Chieftain, Francis Enegbeneke.
11:07Ossaswa Aung Nede, bringing you the news in a more digital way.
