The Police Command in Edo has neutralised a suspected cultist and arrested 27 others during a late-night operation that disrupted an alleged initiation ceremony in the state.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, stated this in a statement issued on Monday in Benin.

Ikoedem said that the raid followed “credible intelligence” that members of Neo Black Axe Movement of Nigeria, also known as Black Axe, had converged on the community, about 18 kilometres from Ekpoma, for an initiation exercise.

She said that the raid was carried out at about 10:00 p.m. on Saturday at Urohi village in Esan-West Local Government Area of the state.

Ikoedem further stated that a combined team of police tactical operatives, local vigilantes and hunters was led on the operation by the Divisional Police Officer of Ekpoma Division, SP Nelson Igbinoba.

She said that the operatives came under gunfire while attempting to effect arrests, adding that “one of the cultists opened fire on the police and, in the ensuing gun duel, the suspect was neutralised.”

She said that firearms, dangerous weapons, vehicles, mobile phones and substances suspected to be hemp were recovered from the scene.

The police spokesperson said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Monday Agbonika, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the State Criminal Investigations Department for thorough investigation and prosecution.

“The commissioner of police commended the operatives for their swift response and professionalism, and reassured members of the public of the command’s unwavering commitment to combating cultism and all forms of criminality across the state,” Ikoedem said.

She urged residents to continue to support the police with timely and credible information, assuring that the command would sustain its offensive against cult-related violence and other threats to public safety in the state.