News of govt officials’ arrest for cultism, a ‘big shock’ – Edo

The Edo State Government has received news of the arrest of some of its officials for alleged involvement in cult-related killings in Benin, the state capital, with shock.

The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Louis Odion, made this known in a statement on Thursday.

A special crack squad deployed by the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, in Benin to stem the tide of cultism, kidnapping and other violent crimes, led to the arrest of no fewer than 56 suspects.

Eleven of the suspects were said to be ‎highly placed government officials in the state.

At least, 10 persons had been reportedly killed in reprisal attacks between rival cult groups in the state.

Odion, who said the state government would not want to “jump to conclusion” over the issue, however, noted that their alleged complicity negated the values of the state governor in his fight against cultism in Edo.

The statement read, “The reports came as a big shock to us. While it is inappropriate to jump to conclusion until police investigations were concluded, let me put it on record that cultism, in whatever form, negates the values Comrade Adams Oshiomhole holds dear.

“This is easily verifiable from his zero tolerance of thuggery and any form of political violence over the years. If found guilty, be rest assured that the Comrade Governor will ensure the rule of law prevails against officials involved.

“We encourage members of the public to cooperate with the police to root out cultism from our neighbourhood and communities”.