Outrage, bloodshed as Ovbiogie community in Edo state lament insecurity

There was chaos in the early hours of Monday in Edobor, Ovbiogie community, Edo State, as rival cult groups clashed in a violent struggle for supremacy and territorial control.

The usually bustling streets were deserted, businesses shut down, and residents gripped by fear as the conflict unfolded. Eyewitnesses described the latest clash as the third within a week, marking a disturbing escalation in cult-related violence between the Eiye Confraternity and the New Black Movement of Africa.

According to local sources, no fewer than 15 people have been killed, with several others injured and hospitalised.

Speaking on the incident, the Community Development Association (CDA) Chairman, Barrister Osarumen John, condemned the bloodshed and mourned the loss of young lives. He recalled a similar outbreak of violence less than a year ago, when an elderly woman reportedly died of cardiac arrest following gunfire near her window.

Further investigations revealed that the deceased woman was the mother of Nosa Osapolor, who was murdered in broad daylight a decade ago for refusing to hand over his younger brother to his cult.

After the killing, her surviving son fled the community in 2015, fearing for his life when the cult attempted to forcibly recruit him as a replacement. The elderly woman, left destitute and alone, died in August 2024 without ever seeing her son again, as the cult reportedly remained intent on taking his life should he return.

Residents of Edobor community, speaking largely under the condition of anonymity, have called on both state and local security agencies to intervene urgently and rid the area of the terror imposed by these violent cult groups.