Police Raid Suspected Black Axe Meeting, Arrest Three In Delta

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CP Samuel Erale

A police raid on a suspected Black Axe meeting in Delta State has led to the arrest of three alleged cultists and the recovery of an automatic pump-action gun, as the command intensifies its crackdown on cultism and violent crime.

The suspects were arrested in the early hours of Monday, October 5, when operatives of the Quick Response Squad stormed a location along Ekrakra Road in Kokori, Ethiope East Local Government Area, following intelligence on suspected cult activities.

The suspects reportedly fled in different directions on sighting the police, but operatives arrested Uzubu Ufuoma, 33; Solomon Ovie, 27; and Remember Emuere, 31.

The Delta State Police Command said further investigation led the arrested suspects to an abandoned building at Okodjerhe Village, Kokori, where an automatic pump-action gun allegedly belonging to the group was recovered.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Samuel Erale.

The three suspects are currently in police custody, while the command said efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the group who escaped during the operation.

In a related operation, operatives of the CP-Special Assignment Team also raided a suspected kidnappers’ and armed robbers’ hideout in a bush around Uduere Community, Ughelli North LGA.

The police said the suspects engaged operatives in a gun battle before fleeing the scene.

Recovered from the hideout were an AK-47 rifle, two AK-47 magazines, 55 rounds of live ammunition, a pump-action gun, seven live cartridges, a knife, a cutlass and a mobile phone.

CP Erale, warned kidnappers, armed robbers and cultists that the command would continue to identify their hideouts and disrupt their activities.

He urged residents to remain vigilant and provide the police with credible information on suspicious persons and activities in their communities.

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