The Edo State Special Security Squad has arrested 20 suspected cultists and demolished four properties linked to them in an operation carried out in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area.

The squad disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Benin, signed by Fred Itua, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo.

According to the statement, the operation was jointly led by the Chief Security Officer of Government House and the Governor’s Principal Security Officer (PSO).

Itua explained that the crackdown followed the brutal killing of a young barber in South Ibie, which was linked to a cult clash.

“About 20 suspects were arrested during the operations, and four houses were demolished, including a building located on Egbiadokhai Street, behind Otaru Primary School in Auchi, owned by a wanted cultist known as ‘Too-Believe,’” the statement read.

The building, which reportedly served as a meeting point for members of the Black Axe Confraternity, yielded incriminating items, including two cut-to-size guns, two black berets associated with Black Axe, and a sharp axe. Too-Believe is said to be on the run.

Another property demolished on Anoguele Street, Iyakpi, South Ibie, belonged to a suspected member of the Eiye Confraternity, identified as Kuwat. He allegedly masterminded the killing of the barber but fled before security agents arrived.

The squad also demolished a house in Ogodomiza, Ibie-Nafe, belonging to another cult leader. A raid on the property earlier led to the arrest of two suspects, 17-year-old Momoh Austin and 21-year-old Joseph Oyazojo, who confessed they were recruited to engage in cybercrime, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo.

Speaking after the operation, Secretary of the State Security Squad, John Izegaegbe, said the government had earlier given cultists a 166-day amnesty window to renounce membership, offering them soft loans and vocational training.

“That window was ignored. Now, desperate times call for desperate measures. This demolition is a warning to all landlords and cultists—stay out of cultism or face the full wrath of the law,” Izegaegbe warned.

He added that the demolished houses were directly linked to the recent murder in Auchi, with weapons and cult insignia recovered during the raids.

Also speaking, another squad member, Eribo Emwanta, urged parents and hotel owners to be vigilant. “We are cleaning out these communities, and hotels harboring criminals are next,” he said.