Rita Enemuru, Reporting
Delta State Police have recorded multiple breakthroughs in the war against cult violence, arresting the alleged mastermind of a Ughelli murder and his predecessor, alongside a separate raid that pulled an arsenal of homemade weapons off the streets of Asaba.
Operatives from the CP-Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT) first moved on a hotel hideout in the Ekuigbo area of Ughelli Town around 11:30 am on Friday, 6th March.
Sources confirm they nabbed Joshua Okpogona, the current supremo of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity in Ughelli, and Raphael Omokerhe, aka “Black Python,” the group’s immediate past leader. The arrest follows an investigation into a fatal cult clash that claimed a life at Iwhrekpokpo area on 15th January.
But the crackdown didn’t stop there. In the early hours of Sunday, 8th March, at approximately 4:35 am, the same team stormed a criminal hideout at Umunaji, near the “Stop Abortion” Junction in Asaba.
The suspect, Chukwudi Ekenna (22), was taken into custody, and a search of the premises uncovered a fabricated Beretta pistol, two locally made cut-to-size guns, and ten live cartridges.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed that the suspects are in custody and aiding further investigations, as the command intensifies efforts to hunt down fleeing members of the syndicates.
