One person has been killed while 27 suspected cultists were arrested during an alleged initiation ceremony at Urohi Village in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.
The Edo State Police Command confirmed the development in a statement issued on Monday by its Police Public Relations Officer, SP Eno Ikoedem.
According to the statement, the arrests were made on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at about 10:00 pm, following credible intelligence that members of the Neo Black Axe Movement of Nigeria, popularly known as Black Axe, had converged in the area for an initiation exercise.
Ikoedem said the Divisional Police Officer of Ekpoma Division, SP Nelson Igbinoba, was deployed to lead a joint team of police tactical operatives, local vigilantes and hunters to the location, about 18 kilometres from Ekpoma.
“During a coordinated operation at Urohi Village, Esan West Local Government Area of the state, the Edo State Police Command arrested 27 suspected members of the Neo Black Axe Movement of Nigeria,” the statement read.
The police said that during the operation, one of the suspects opened fire on security operatives, leading to a gun duel in which the suspect was neutralised.
Items recovered from the scene include one locally made shotgun, one live cartridge, one battle axe, one knife, two Toyota Camry vehicles with registration numbers AUC 377 LU and RBC 867 JJ, and one Lexus RX jeep without a registration number.
READ ALSO: Police Arrest Man for Killing 15-Year-Old Son in Edo
Also recovered were 51 mobile phones of different makes, 15 pairs of Timberland boots of various colours, and several sling bags containing substances suspected to be Indian hemp.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Monday Agbonika, ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the State Criminal Investigation Department for thorough investigation and prosecution. He commended the operatives for their swift response and professionalism.
Agbonika reassured residents of the command’s commitment to combating cultism and other criminal activities across the state, urging members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to the police through designated emergency lines.
The incident comes amid growing concern over cult-related activities in the South-South region. In October, the Delta State Police Command arrested four suspected cultists for allegedly initiating a toddler into a cult group in the Sapele area of the state, an incident that sparked widespread outrage after a video of the act went viral.