The Edo State Special Security Squad, operating under the high-stakes banner “Operation Flush Out Cultists and Kidnappers,” has struck a major blow against local gangs after arresting two suspected cultists during a raid in Benin City’s Amagba area.
In a briefing following the operation, squad spokesperson Mr. Eribo Enwanta confirmed that the arrests are directly linked to the wave of violence and killings that have recently plagued the state capital.
The suspects, identified as alleged members of the notorious Aye Confraternity, were cornered in a building in the Amagba community; however, five other accomplices managed to slip away during the chaos of the raid.
The state government took immediate and drastic action following the arrests, ordering the total demolition of the building where the suspects were hiding.
This forceful exercise was carried out on the spot, led by the Principal Security Officer to the Governor, sending a clear message to those harboring criminals.
“Two suspected Aye members were arrested in connection with recent cult killings in the state, while five others escaped, and the building was demolished,” Enwanta said.
The spokesperson emphasized that the Governor’s orders are absolute, granting the squad a full mandate to hunt down and arrest anyone violating the state’s anti-cultism laws, regardless of their social standing or connections.
The crackdown didn’t stop there, as the squad also moved to seal off a residence in the Upper Uwa area of Benin. The property was the last known hideout of a Maphite Confraternity member believed to be the mastermind and financial backer of last week’s deadly shootings on Wire Road.