The Benue State Police Command announced on Monday the arrest of three alleged cultists in Gboko region of the State.
Some youths were claimed to have planned a celebration of ‘Aye cultism day’ on Sunday, July 7, 2024, in the ancient town.
According to an intelligence assessment leaked to security officials, one of the planned activities to commemorate the occasion was the initiation of new members.
Aye is a secret cult and non-traditional group founded by young people who believe in supernatural powers.
It was said that certain youths, in coordination with security personnel working on intelligence reports, moved from street to street to round up suspects.
A source in Gboko, simply identified as Jiji Jack, informed PUNCH that some volunteer youths worked with police officers to apprehend the culprits who had assembled for the celebration.
Jack said, “Some volunteer youths based in the traditional seat of Tiv nation, Gboko, joined forces with the security Joint Task Force to stop the planned celebrations of the worldwide cultism day, being 7/7/2024.
“The youth 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 said that they organised their members to comb the streets of Gboko for suspected cultists in order to prevent anything from disrupting the historic town’s serenity.
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“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.
“New members will be inducted, covenants will be renewed, and supremacy battles will occur, usually characterised by violence and bloodshed, a reason we were out to assist the security to fight against it.
“So, we passed the information to security men, and we 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 in order to make Gboko peaceful, security is everywhere and we, as youth groups are helping the security to see that nothing of such activities take place in Gboko.”
When called, Catherine Anene, the state Police Public Relations Officer, stated that three individuals had been arrested.
“Three suspects were arrested in Gboko, and investigation is ongoing,” Anene said in a statement.
