The Edo State Police Command says it will prosecute some suspected cultists arrested in connection with the murder of one Braimoh Fulani killed in his daughter’s presence in the South Ibie area of the state.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, disclosed this in a telephone conversation with on Sunday.

had reported on Wednesday that there was tension in Auch town the previous day as members of rival cult groups engaged in a violent confrontation, resulting in the killing of an alleged Eiye member in the presence of his daughter.

According to social media reports, the perpetrators believed to be members of the Aye Confraternity arrived at the scene in a Lexus car.

It was gathered that the violence was a retaliatory strike orchestrated by members of the Aye group in response to an earlier attack on its member identified as Emma, who was killed on Monday in Auchi.

Nwabuzor had, in a statement on Saturday, disclosed that some of the suspects who perpetrated the series of attacks had been arrested.

He noted that three persons died in the attacks that occurred between April 18 and April 23, 2024, and identified the victims as one Umoru, Emmanuel Odiase and Braimoh Fulani.

The PPRO added that no fewer than seven suspects were arrested in connection with the attacks.

Nwabuzor said, “Following the break out of the violent attack between the Aye and Eiye secret cult confraternities on Thursday, April 18, 2024, at South-Ibie in Edo North Area of Edo State where one Umoru was attacked and shot dead by some members of Aye Cult group at Campus gate Auchi, the operatives of the South-Ibie Division and the Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Unit of the Command stormed the scene and arrested seven cultists of the Black Axe group.

“In another development, on April 22, 2024, another attack was carried out where one Emmanuel Odiase, a member of the Black Axe was killed in Auchi by members of the Eiye cult group.

“Subsequently, on April 23, 2024, one Braimoh Fulani, a 43-year-old, was killed in his provision shop at the Campus area in Auchi by members of the Aye cult group who came to his shop with an unregistered Lexus 350 saloon car, golden colour.”

He added that, acting on intelligence from members of the public, the police in collaboration with local vigilantes, pursued and arrested the suspected killers of Fulani.

Giving further updates on the incident, Nwabuzor told our correspondent on the telephone on Sunday that the suspects would be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of the investigation.

“We are investigating the matter currently. Our investigation will lead to further updates. The suspects will be prosecuted as soon as the investigation is concluded,” Nwabuzor noted.

reported on January 14 that cult clashes and gun violence had caused over 180 fatalities in Edo State between January 2021 and December 2023, according to a report by the Partnerships Initiatives in the Niger Delta.

The P4P Peace Map had, in its weekly update, shown an increase in cult-related deaths in the state.

The tally showed that Benin City had the highest number of deaths with 97 people, followed by Ogbegbe with 31; Ewu-Esan LGA with over 13 persons; Egbeta with three deaths; and Ekpoma with two deaths. Other 34 deaths are spread across several other local government areas in the state.

The recent incidents indicate a resurgence of killings by cult gangs in the state.