Friday, August 22, 2025 - The Edo State Government has stepped up its crackdown on cultism and violent gangs, sealing shrines and declaring alleged leaders wanted after bloody clashes in the state.
In a coordinated sweep codenamed “Operation Flush Out
Cultists and Kidnappers”, operatives uncovered a shrine in Egbaen community,
Egor Local Government Area, during an early-morning raid on Wednesday. Though
the compound was empty, investigators discovered a hidden shrine containing a
white casket and fetish items believed to be used for initiation rituals.
The security agents swiftly sealed the property, stressing
that the government would no longer tolerate the spiritual and physical
infrastructure that sustains cult networks.
The clampdown followed a violent confrontation in Evboyare
community, Uhunmwode Local Government Area, where rival confraternities, the
Eiye and Maphite, clashed in a dispute that left one man, identified as Festus,
de@d.
Authorities later sealed the residence of Felix Aigbedion,
an alleged Maphite leader, accused of masterminding the assault. He has since
been declared wanted.
Security forces also recovered two locally made firearms
from a poultry house identified as an improvised armoury for cultists. The
confrontation left homes, vehicles, and streets scarred with bullet marks and
destruction, forcing families to flee.
Speaking after the operation, the coordinator Idemudia Noah
said Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration was determined to dismantle
criminal networks. He warned that cultists must “renounce or leave Edo State”
or face the full weight of the law.
Investigators also uncovered evidence of extortion during
initiation rituals, including forced money transfers from victims.
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