Cult members kill son, mother, others

The ongoing cult war in Benin, the Edo State capital, has created fear in the minds of the residents. In the last couple of weeks, at least 20 people have been killed by rival cult groups, said to be fighting over some candidates in the just concluded general election.

Again, on Monday night, a man, his mother and another woman were also shot to death by cult members. The hoodlums murdered the women when they stormed the homes of their targets in a reprisal attack.

Many frightened residents of Benin have fled their homes in the last three weeks over the incessant attacks. Most of the frightened politicians loyal to the main political parties whose actions were directly or indirectly linked to the upsurge in the cult war before, during and after the general election were said to have left the state. It was gathered yesterday that the armed men stormed Virginia Junction close to Murtala Muhammed Way, Benin, about 8pm on Monday in search of one of their targets said to be a 25-year-old man.

The gunmen were said to have gone to the store belonging to the mother of their target but when they asked the woman about her son’s whereabouts said she did not know. Not satisfied with the woman’s reply, the armed men rushed to the man’s residence.

They met him at home and shot him dead. The cult members returned to the woman’s shop and shot her dead. But a youth leader in the state, Mr Tony Adun aka Tony Kabaka, yesterday raised the alarm over the spate of cultrelated killings in parts of the state. He said the worrisome situation had led to the sudden death of not less than 20 people in the past two weeks. Adun, therefore, called on the state government and the state House of Assembly to urgently set up a Task Force on Cultism to stem the tide. In another development, at New Benin area, gunmen shot the mother of their target when they could not find him at home.

A witness said yesterday that the woman was shot at close range. But Adun told journalists that he would volunteer him-self to ensure that the capital was rid of hoodlums. He said: “We must fight these people before they kill everybody in this state. What is happening now is that small boys have gone crazy for nothing, killing and nothing is being done to stop them. “We can stop them if government does something drastic, by passing a law setting up the task force and also passing a law prescribing death penalty for cult members.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Stephen Onwochei, said on the phone yesterday that some arrests had been made while several arms were recovered from the suspects. Onwochei said the command had made necessary arrangements to engage all stakeholders including schools and civil society groups to carry out extensive campaigns against the cult war and to prevent wards, students and other actors from the scourge.

He noted that the main challenge in curbing the raging battle was the ongoing strike by judicial workers and courts. This, according to him, has stalled proceedings at the courts. The PPRO warned those involved to retrace their steps as the long arm of the law would soon catch up with them, no matter how highly placed in the society. Meanwhile, a police source said the police had arrested 18 people for allegedly belonging to two rival cult groups.

They were picked up in their various hideouts following the death of several people in cult clashes in the state. The source said that the clashes were between two rival groups, Ite and Eiye confraternities. Disturbed by the incidents, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Samuel Adegbuyi was said to have rushed down to Benin from Abuja. The suspects were arrested by a team led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Mr Kenneth Ebrimson.
By newtelegraphonline