Fears in Benin over beheading, strange deaths

There was palpable fear yesterday in Benin City, the Edo State capital and its environs as suspected cult members allegedly beheaded a yet-to-be identified young man, whose headless body was found around First East Circular Road Junction, by Sokponba Road.

Residents, who gathered to catch a glimpse of the body before it was taken away by policemen from Adesuwa Division, said they didn’t know the victim and described the act as barbaric.

Not fewer than five persons have allegedly been killed in what looked like a renewed cult war in the state capital. Some of the deaths have been mysterious as one of the dead bodies was said to have been discovered floating on a river.

Two of the victims said to be security guards were reported to have been killed at a filling station, near Ukpaghan junction in Eyean community in Uhunmwode Local Council of the state while a woman was also discovered floating in Ikpoba River at the lonely Temboga junction on Upper Mission Extension, also in the capital City. The identity of the beheaded man and others were not made public as at the time of filing this report.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Nkomber confirmed the incident. He told The Guardian: “Our men were on patrol when they discovered the headless body. It is that of the young man believed to be in his 20s. We suspect that it is a cult-related killing. We are investigating into the matter. The body has been deposited in the morgue.”

The police had last week paraded over 22 suspected cult members, including one Emmanuel Ogbemudia allegedly involved in several cult killings in the last one month.

Although security operatives were said to have intensified their discreet investigations to unravel the circumstances and those behind the cases as well as get to the root of the cases, many concerned residents are worried about the growing insensitivity behind the dastard acts.

In addition, residents of the city and adjoining communities now resort to returning to their homes early at nights while many areas have beefed up security to check the menace of miscreants in various parts of the state.

The Guardian