The article below with details of the Edo Government’s demolition of a building linked to criminal activities including ritual murder illustrates well how an age-old traditional ceremony – a human sacrifice for the well-being of a community, firmly rooted in the belief in supernatural powers – has turned into a criminal, money-making machine. This tendency in several Sub-Saharan African countries – unfortunately, not limited to Nigeria – became already apparent in the late 20th century and is becoming more and more a daily threat in the present 21st century.
While criminal ritualistic activities including murder occur all over Nigeria, Edo State is notoriously known for these repulsive and condemnable acts. See e.g. some of my previous posts.
Warning: the following posts contain graphic contents and may shock readers.
Ritual murder in Edo State – man caught with daughter’s head, her body found in shallow grave
Published: April 27, 2024
Edo Police Command uncover’s ritualist’s den, 20 corpses in Benin City, Edo State
Published: August 28, 2022
Angry mob sets four on fire over ritual killing in Edo State
Published: February 27, 2022
Ritualists behead lady, dump her corpse in bush in Benin City, Edo State
Published: October 29, 2018
Body of young woman found in Benin City (Edo State) with vital organs missing
Published: October 28, 2018
Some background information on Edo State, Nigeria
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is divided into six geopolitical zones commonly called zones. Edo State is located in the South-South geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, bordering Koti State (north and east), Ondo State (in the west), Delta State (in the south), and Anambra State (the east).
Edo State is Nigeria’s 22nd (or 24th) most populous state with an estimated population of between 6 and 10 million. With a surface area of 17,802 km2 it also ranks number 22. The state’s capital and largest city, Benin City, is one of Nigeria’s largest (ranking 4 after Lagos, Kano and Ibadan) and one of the country’s most famous and historic cities.
(FVDK)
Edo Government demolishes building linked to cultism, ritual activities
Published: June 17, 2026
By: Matthew Atungwu – Daily Post, Nigeria
The Edo State Government has demolished a building allegedly linked to cultism and ritual activities in Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement by Governor Monday Okpebholo’s media aide, Patrick Ebojele, on Tuesday, another property was also sealed off in a renewed crackdown on crime and criminal networks.
Ebojele said the operation was carried out under “Operation Flush Out Kidnappers and Cultists”.
According to him, the operation involved the Edo State Security Corps, the Nigeria Police Force, and other security agencies under the supervision of senior security officials attached to the governor.
Secretary of the Edo State Security Squad, John Izegaegbe, said the intervention followed intelligence reports and field findings in the area.
Izegaegbe added that one of the sealed buildings in Ebhoijie-Uromi was linked to a disturbing discovery made in June.
“We are here on the order of Governor Monday Okpebholo, and, on getting here, we discovered that it is a ritual and murder case.
“It was further discovered, according to medical experts, that the body found in the building, which is the body of their gatekeeper, identified as Mildah Dalandi, had been decomposing for about one month in the apartment,” he said.
The state government reiterated that investigations were ongoing and assured residents that efforts to dismantle criminal networks across communities would continue.
Source: Edo Govt demolishes building linked to cultism, ritual activities
Related articles on the same subject:
Edo Government demolishes suspected criminal hideout, orders fugitives to surrender
Published: June 16, 2026
By: Felix Ifijeh – TheWill, NIgeria
June 16, (THEWILL) — The Edo State Government has intensified its crackdown on violent crime after demolishing a building allegedly linked to ritual killings and cult-related activities in Uromi, while sealing another property connected to the same suspects and ordering two fleeing individuals to surrender within 72 hours.
The demolition exercise formed part of the state’s ongoing security operation, Operation Flush Out Kidnappers and Cultists, involving operatives of the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC), the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies acting under directives from Governor Monday Okpebholo.
Speaking during the operation on Tuesday, Secretary of the Edo State Security Squad, Barrister John Izegaegbe, said the action followed intelligence reports and field investigations which uncovered disturbing evidence linking the affected properties to murder, ritual practices and cult activities.
According to Izegaegbe, operatives were acting on a direct order from Governor Okpebholo when investigators discovered what he described as evidence of a ritual killing case tied to one of the buildings in Ebhoijie area of Uromi.
“We are here on the marching order of Governor Monday Okpebholo and getting here we discovered that it’s a ritual and a murder case,” he said.
Izegaegbe disclosed that a decomposing body discovered in one of the sealed apartments was identified as Mildah Dalandi, a gateman employed at the property.
According to preliminary findings, medical experts who examined the remains concluded that the victim had been dead for nearly one month before the body was discovered.
“It was further discovered according to medical experts that the body found in the building, which is the body of their gateman identified as Mildah Dalandi, has been decomposing for about one month in the apartment,” Izegaegbe stated.
Security officials said residents had alerted authorities after perceiving a foul odour around the building, prompting operatives to force entry into the premises on June 2, 2026, where the decomposed body was eventually found.
The Edo government identified two prime suspects in the case as Eweh Favour and Eweh Bright, both of whom are currently on the run.
Authorities have now issued a 72-hour ultimatum directing the suspects to report to security agencies for questioning.
“The suspects are on the run, but we are giving them 72 hours to report themselves at the Uromi Police Divisional Headquarters or Area Command to clear themselves and enable further investigation into the matter,” Izegaegbe said.
Following further investigation, security operatives traced another property belonging to the suspects on Dr. Ebason Street in Uromi, where authorities claimed additional incriminating evidence was uncovered, prompting immediate demolition of the building.
“This house will certainly be brought down as the government will not tolerate criminal elements in the state,” the security official declared.
Investigators alleged that the demolished property served as an initiation ground for cult activities.
According to Izegaegbe, several suspicious items recovered during the operation included laptops, machetes, battle axes, native pots, candles, identity documents, photographs, and a red-coloured liquid suspected to have been used for ritual practices.
One of the photographs recovered from the premises reportedly bore the inscription “Singapore ritualist,” further raising suspicion about the nature of activities allegedly conducted there.
“Information brought us here as the property belongs to the same suspects and evidence has shown that this building is used as an initiation ground for new members into the cult confraternity,” he added.
He said the demolition was meant to serve as a warning to criminal elements operating anywhere within the state.
“This building is going down to serve as a deterrent to other criminal elements who are engaged in criminal activities in Edo State. We are warning them to leave the state or have themselves to be blamed as the Governor Monday Okpebholo-led administration will not tolerate them causing havoc in the state,” he said.
The State Government reiterated that investigations remain ongoing and vowed to sustain aggressive operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks linked to kidnapping, cult violence, ritual killings and other forms of insecurity across communities.
Source: Edo Demolishes Suspected Criminal Hideout, Orders Fugitives to Surrender
See also:
Oyo, Edo govts demolish building linked to arms storage, ritual killing
Published: June 17, 2026
By: The Nation, Nigeria
And:
The Stench That Exposed a Suspected Ritualists’ Den in Edo
Published: June 17, 2026
By: Mike Osarogiagbon – The Nigerian Observer
In an intensified crackdown on cultism and ritual-related crimes in Edo State, the state government on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, reportedly demolished a building and sealed another suspected to be havens for cultists and ritualists in Uromi, the administrative headquarters of Esan North-East Local Government Area.
The operation, carried out under the state’s “Operation Flush Out Kidnappers and Cultists,” took a horrifying turn when security operatives discovered the decomposing body of a gateman inside one of the properties, triggering a murder and suspected ritual-related investigation that has sent shockwaves through Uromi and beyond.
According to a statement by Dr. Patrick Akhere Ebojele, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, the operation was witnessed by senior personnel of the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC), the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies under the supervision of top security officials attached to the governor.
But beyond the bulldozers, shattered walls and recovery of suspected ritual items lies a disturbing reality, for about a month, the gateman, identified as Mildah Dalandi, lay dead inside an apartment while neighbours went about their daily activities. Vehicles moved in and out of the area, and the bustling community carried on with its routines. Yet, behind closed doors, his decomposing body remained undiscovered until a foul stench forced residents to raise the alarm.
Speaking during the exercise, the Secretary of the Edo State Security Squad, Barr. John Izegaegbe, said the intervention followed intelligence reports and field findings in the area.
“We are here on the marching orders of Governor Monday Okpebholo, and upon arriving here, we discovered that this is a murder and suspected ritual case,” he said.
The statement disclosed that security operatives gained access to the property on June 2, 2026, where they discovered the decomposing body.
The investigation subsequently led security agencies to another property allegedly linked to two brothers, Eweh Favour and Eweh Bright, who have since been declared wanted and are currently on the run along with other persons yet to be identified.
The governor’s spokesman further quoted Barr. Izegaegbe as saying, “Medical experts confirmed that the body found in the building, identified as that of the gateman, Mildah Dalandi, had been decomposing in the apartment for about one month.”
The state government alleged that evidence recovered from the premises indicated that the building was being used for cult-related activities, including the initiation of new members.
Among the items reportedly recovered were laptops, machetes, battle axes, native pots, candles, a red-coloured liquid suspected to have been used for rituals, identity documents and photographs, including one bearing the inscription, “Singapore Ritualist.”
For many residents, however, the most disturbing aspect of the case remains the fate of the gateman whose body lay undiscovered for weeks.
Questions continue to linger. How did the gateman die? Why was his body abandoned? What transpired inside the apartment where he spent his final days? And what secrets died with him? Was he the only victim, why was he not declared missing or could more persons be linked to the ongoing investigation?
While the demolished structures now lie in ruins, the tragedy of the gateman and the unanswered questions surrounding his final days continue to cast a dark shadow over the Ebhoijie-Uromi community and beyond.
As the Governor Monday Okpebholo-led administration and security agencies intensify efforts to track down the fleeing suspects, residents hope the ongoing investigation will provide answers and justice for a man whose death was only discovered after a stench exposed what the government has described as a house of horror.
Source: The Stench That Exposed a Suspected Ritualists’ Den in Edo
