By Ayo Kehinde
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.
