CULT CLASH IN BENIN

Not less than five persons have been reportedly
killed at the weekend while several others were
seriously injured in a bloody clash in three
different locations between two rival cult groups,
the Eiye and Black Axe in Benin, the Edo State.
We gathered that the victims were killed
during a quarrel, as one of the groups was
sharing money allegedly given to them by
politicians during the conduct of primaries by one
of the political parties in the state. It was learnt
that two men riding on a motorcycle, suspected
to be members of the Eiye confraternity shot a
member of a rival Black Axe cult group whose
name was identified as Tony Idemudia at Uwelu,
near Ogida area of the city. As soon as this
happened, the Black Axe members were said to
have stormed the Texiles Mill Road area
apparently on a reprisal mission and swooped on
two rival members killing them in the process.
Not satisfied, members of the Black Axe
confraternity were said to have retreated and
launched another attack on their opponents at
the Second East Circular junction also in the state
capital, where they shot two persons to death.
One of the victims of the onslaught was identified
as Osas. The bloody scenes had left the residents
of the affected areas scampering for safety.
However, Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr.
David Omojola said nine persons had been
arrested in connection with the incident. He
attributed the killings to rival cult gangs and
promised that those involved in the killings would
be prosecuted, adding that investigations were
on to unravel the circumstances surrounding the
clash. The corpses of the cult members have
been taken to the morgue of the Central Hospital,
Benin by policemen from the state command