Policemen in Edo state have arrested several lecturers including a professor for belonging to a cult group.
Double-barrel and single-barrel gun recovered by the police
The Edo State Police Command said it arrested some lecturers of the
Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma for allegedly engaging in cult-related
activities, Punch reports.
According to information revealed by the Commissioner of Police,
Haliru Gwandu in Benin on Tuesday, firearms were also recovered from the
arrested academics.
Gwandu also said that among those arrested was a professor, from
whom a double-barrel gun, single-barrel gun and one pump action gun were
allegedly recovered.
The police commissioner said, “The professor was arrested. He was granted bail. The case is under investigation.”
Gwandu’s statement came less than a week after the command refuted
reports that its operatives allegedly brutalised the Dean of the Faculty
of Law of the university, Prof. Sunday Edeko.
The commissioner expressed displeasure over the high rate of
cultism around the institution located in Esan West Local Government
Area, which he said had claimed many lives.
He said there had been distress calls from members of the
university community that cult groups were unleashing mayhem in the
area.
“It was a distress call from the community; the university
community made a call that cult groups were killing and they killed so
many.
“And at the time when they (policemen) went to inspect a site,
they discovered more than 14 beheaded students at that particular time,”
he said.
He, however, vowed that the police would ensure that the
leaders and members of cult groups in the area were arrested and charged
to court.
Gwandu said, “We have a lot of issues with that particular
university. There are some senior lecturers that were apprehended with
firearms.
“So, we are going to arrest those who are mentoring and those
who are real cultists and charge them to court. There is no going back.”