Rita Enemuru, Reporting
POLICE stormed a suspected cultist den at Eagle Square, Okpanam Road, on Thursday morning, netting nine suspects and a haul of weaponry including a Beretta pistol, a battle axe and a cutlass.
The 14 May operation, carried out by the Buffalo Patrol Team around 11:09hrs following a distress call, saw seven males and two females dragged out of the hideout.
All nine are now being grilled by the Command’s Anti-Cult Unit.
In a separate intelligence-led strike the very following day, anti-cult operatives swooped on a 28-year-old man identified as Christopher Ogidigbo of Ogharaefe Town in Ethiope-West Local Government Area.
Described by police as a suspected kingpin of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity (SVC), Ogidigbo was caught with a locally made revolver pistol.
Detectives are now working to link him to a wider trail of violence.
Meanwhile, a routine stop-and-search on the Ughelli/Patani Road on the same Thursday morning yielded another shock.
Officers from the Safer Highway Patrol Team pulled over a Lexus Jeep (registration KWL 139 CY) driven by one Felix Ike.
A thorough search uncovered an English-made pump action shotgun and 40 rounds of live cartridges.
Ike remains in custody as inquiries continue.
Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, praised his men for their “professionalism and proactive response”, vowing that the command’s offensive against cultism and illegal firearms would not let up.
The 11 suspects are expected to face charges including membership of an unlawful society and unlawful possession of firearms.
