Edo Gov’t Seals Cult Leaders’ Houses As Violent Clash Leaves 1 Dead

A cult clash between Eiye and Maphite confraternity in Evboyare community in Uhunmwode local government area of Edo State has left one person identified as Festus, dead.

This was disclosed on Thursday by the coordinator of the Edo State Government’s Special Security Squad, Idemudia Noah, in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Fred Itua.

Noah described the scene of the clash as bloody while revealing that the residence of the alleged Maphite leader, Felix Aigbedion, was sealed after intelligence report linked him to the crisis.

He said that Aigbedion has been declared wanted and he was believed to have masterminded the assault during a community dispute that spiralled into cult violence.

He said that by the time security operatives arrived in Evboyare, the community was deserted as houses, vehicles, and personal property bore the marks of destruction.

He stated that two locally-made firearms were recovered from a poultry house, which was identified as a makeshift armoury for cultists.

According to the statement, the operatives, acting on intelligence, also stormed an unoccupied building in Egbaen, Egor local government area of the State, in the early hours of Wednesday, where a secluded shrine was uncovered at the rear of the premises. The building is said to belong to Marvellous Adetarami.

Inside the house, officers found a white casket and fetish items believed to have been used for initiation rituals and other clandestine activities.

In a swift response, the Edo State Government ordered the immediate sealing of the property, an emphatic signal of its resolve to dismantle the physical and spiritual infrastructure sustaining cultism across the state.

Speaking after the operation, Idemudia Noah reaffirmed the State government’s uncompromising posture.

“The administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo is unwavering in its determination to purge Edo State of cult-related violence and criminal syndicates.

“We have sealed the property of Felix Aigbedion, who has been implicated in the fatal clash at Evboyare which claimed the life of one Festus, as well as the Egbaen residence of Marvellous Adetarami, where a shrine was uncovered.

“These measures are not symbolic. They are a clear statement that clandestine activities will no longer find sanctuary in Edo State,” he noted.

Noah disclosed that investigation also unearthed disturbing evidence of extortion during initiation processes, including the forced transfer of money from victims to cultists. He stressed that the Police had been fully briefed and were pursuing prosecutions.

He warned cultists to renounce their membership of the cult groups or leave Edo State, noting that the government was committed to securing Edo for its people and ensuring peace, stability, and a safe environment for commerce and community life.