In a tragic resurgence of cult violence in Edo State, at least eight people have lost their lives over the last few days in clashes between the Supreme Eiye Confraternity (SEC) and Supreme Vikings Confraternity. The conflict, primarily centered in Benin City’s Upper Sokponba area, has sparked significant concern among residents, with some sources indicating that the death toll may be closer to twenty as violence escalates.
The cause of the renewed conflict remains unclear, though reports suggest an attempt to mediate between group leaders at Tipper Garage in the Idogbo area failed to defuse tensions. The situation reportedly worsened when SEC members allegedly injured several Vikings members, which led to retaliatory attacks. This cycle of violence has continued, resulting in multiple fatalities, with one particularly brutal retaliation aimed at top members of each confraternity.
One local source shared that, “A Vikings member was viciously attacked and presumed dead but survived and is receiving treatment. This conflict has no space for apologies as one group refuses to accept them, and the other refuses to offer them.”
The Benin United Forum (BUF), a prominent community group, is appealing to the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, to intervene and curse those responsible for these violent acts, reminiscent of the Oba’s intervention during a past crisis involving human trafficking. In a statement, BUF President Iyamu Osaro Culture and Secretary Osayuki-Osa Benson urged the monarch to direct chief priests across Benin Kingdom to lay curses on those hiding under cultism to perpetuate killings.
Meanwhile, the Network of Civil Society Organisations (NOCSON) has called for the reinstatement of vigilante groups in Edo State, believing that the state’s crime rate has risen since the police banned the Edo State Joint Security Network. According to NOCSON’s president, Comrade Ogbidi Emmanuel, the security lapse has contributed to the increase in cult-related violence, especially in vulnerable areas.
NOCSON is also urging the police to intensify investigations and bring those responsible for these cult killings to justice.
