At least 121 people were arrested following a police crackdown on suspected cultists planning to commemorate a cult programme known as the 7/7 Day Celebration in Benue and Plateau states.
The 7/7-Day Celebration is a cult-related ritual at which suspected members of the Aiye Confraternity often initiate new members and is frequently marred by violence and killings.
Chronicle NG learned via separate statements from the Benue and Plateau Police commands that the individuals were apprehended in various locations throughout the states.
The Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Adesina, paraded some of the suspects at the Plateau State Police Headquarters in Jos on Monday.
He stated that 118 individuals were arrested on July 7 for cult activities, which is their day of celebration and initiation of new members.
He noted that reliable intelligence and collaboration with other security agencies resulted in the arrests at various sites across the state.
The CP said, “The arrested cultists wanted to hold their engagements yesterday (Sunday, 7/7/2024), but the police were very proactive with other security agencies raiding their hideouts. Yesterday alone, a total of 118 suspects were apprehended.
“From yesterday until today, the command did not allow them to operate anywhere. That is why there is no story of the cultists operating anywhere in Plateau State. They were picked up from different locations.”
In Benue State, some youths claimed to have planned an event to commemorate what they called the ‘AYIE Cultism Day celebration on Sunday, July 7, 2024, in the historic town of Gboko.
According to an intelligence assessment leaked to security officials, one of the planned activities to commemorate the occasion was the initiation of new members.
It was said that certain youngsters, in coordination with security personnel working on intelligence reports, went from street to street, rounding up suspects.
According to a source in Gboko who goes by the name Jiji Jack, several volunteer youngsters worked with police officers to apprehend the suspects who had come for the celebration.
Jack said, “Some volunteer youths based in the traditional seat of the Tiv nation, Gboko, joined forces with the security Joint Task Force to stop the planned celebrations of the worldwide cultism day, which is 7/7/2024.
“The youths moved from one street to another to disperse a suspicious gathering of youths suspected to be celebrating the cultism day.
A Gboko youth leader who did not want to be identified told reporters that they recruited their members to scour the streets of Gboko for suspected cultists in order to prevent anything from disrupting the historic town’s peace.
“It came to our notice that a group of criminally-minded individuals, particularly cultists who are members of a particular confraternity, had concluded plans to celebrate Cultism Day on July 7, the day popularly known as 7/7.
“And new members would be inducted, covenants would be renewed, and supremacy battles would occur, usually characterised by violence and bloodshed, a reason we are out to assist the security to fight against it.
“So, we passed the information to security men, joined hands with them, and moved from street to street. Anywhere we found a gathering of youths, we dispersed them.”
He added, “We want our youths to be law-abiding and shun negative tendencies as well as violence to make Gboko peaceful. Security is everywhere, and we, as youth groups, are helping the security to see that none of such activities take place in Gboko.
When reached, Catherine Anene, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Benue State Command, stated three individuals had been apprehended.
“Three suspects were arrested in Gboko, and the investigation is ongoing,” Anene said in a terse statement.
