19th February, 2019
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
There have been bloodbath in Benin, Edo State in the last 48 hours, as rival cult groups turned the Upper Sakponba area of the metropolis to a theatre of war.
Three persons have so far been confirmed dead and have been taken taken to the mortuary of the State specialist hospital in Benin.
Heavy gun shooting was reported at the Ekiosa axis of the Upper Sakponba, a region notorious for cultism.
In one of the attacks, a man simply identified as Africa was said to have been gunned down Tuesday morning at his beer parlor, located at Uyiosa Junction, Upper Sakponba.
It was gathered that his assailants dragged him out of his beer parlour and shot at him several times.
But when they discovered that bullets could not penetrate him, they allegedly used machetes on him.
The lifeless body of the victim was sighted inside a police van who deposited his corpse at the Benin Specialist Hospital.
Not long after that, two other bodies were said to have been taken by police operatives to the same hospital mortuary.
It was gathered that the two victims whose identities could not be ascertained, were also killed at Upper Sakponba area of the City.
A young man who was identified as John Terry, was allegedly killed at Upper Uwa area, between 2nd and 3rd East Circular of the City.
It was gathered that unidentified assailants attacked and smashed the head of the victim with a stone.
It would be recalled that a Hotel Manager, Okunkpolor Osatohamwen, was also murdered at his place of work by yet to be identified assailants.
As at the time of filing the report, it could not be ascertained the number of victims that have lost their lives.
It could also not be ascertained which cult groups were involved in the attacks.
When contacted on phone, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, said he was in Kano on election duty.
The State Police Command’s spokesman, Chidi Nwabuzor, could also not be reached for confirmation, as calls made to his mobile phone went unanswered.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Chapter, has condemned the unabated cult-related killings in Benin.
A statement signed by the Council Chairman and Secretary, Sir Roland Osakue and Titus Akhigbe respectively, described the development as “unwarranted killings of youths in Benin City, particularly Upper Sakponba axis.”
The Union condemned the unending cult-related killings and called on security agencies in Edo State to quickly nip it in the bud before it degenerated to a full-blown battle between the rival cult groups.
“Two days ago, precisely Monday, Mr. Okunkpolor Osatohamwen Von, the husband of a journalist in Edo was shot dead in cold blood at his place of work in Upper Sakponba area,” Osakue noted.