By Sunday Apah
In a major crackdown on cult violence, the Delta State Police Command has arrested nine suspected cultists and seized deadly weapons, ammunition and illicit drugs in coordinated operations at Obiaruku and Issele-Ikpitime.
According to a statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, the breakthrough came on 13 September 2026 when operatives of the Special Anti-Kidnapping Unit (SAKU), Ubulu-Uku, acting on solid intelligence, stormed premises along Ghana Quarters Street, Umuebu Road, Obiaruku.
The raid yielded a locally fabricated single-barrelled gun, a live cartridge, quantities of suspected illicit drugs, a battle axe, mobile phones and a laptop. Seven suspects were rounded up: Wisdom Enede, 25; Ocheli Solomon, 42; Nnaji Godstime, 23; Izu Thankgod, 28; Kester Adishi, 31; Oghonogho Pentecost, 28; and Adishi Prince, 28.
Under interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed membership of the feared Vikings and Black Axe confraternities and admitted involvement in internet fraud.
Detectives are now digging deeper to uncover their exact roles, the origin of the illegal firearm and any links to wider criminal networks.
A day earlier, on 12 September 2026, officers of Onicha-Olona Division raced to Issele-Ikpitime Village after reports of a cult-related attack on residents.
The patrol team moved in fast, arrested Emmanuel Believe, 29, and Israel Nwaobi, 27 — both of the village — and recovered a locally made cut-to-size gun.
Police also rescued a man who had been shot during the attack and rushed him to hospital. Manhunts continue for the remaining members of the gang.
Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Samuel E. Erale, has ordered investigators to trace the sources of the recovered firearms and track down every associate of the suspects.
He issued a stern warning against cultism and illegal possession of arms, vowing that the Command will keep striking on credible intelligence to dismantle criminal gangs across the state.
