Chinedu Eze
13 September 2005
Abakaliki — Ebonyi State Police Command has swooped on members of a cult group known as New Black Movement (Black Axe), which clashed with a rival cult group, Brotherhood of Blood, that led to the death of five students of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki forthnight ago.
In a press briefing at the command headquarters in Abakaliki yesterday, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Chijioke Wokoma, said two leaders of the cult group, Obiajulu Igwe, a third year Sociology student of Ebonyi State University and Ogbonna Ibiam, a student of Human Kinesthetic from the same university who hails from Unwana, Afikpo were arrested when the police received intelligence report that the cult group was meeting at No. 9 Undensi street, Abakaliki and sent anti-robbery squad to arrest them.
According to him, when the squad approached the building where the meeting was being held, the suspected cultists jumped out of the building and attempted to escape, but Obiajulu Igwe was arrested with a locally made revolver pistol and four live ammunitions. "Following intelligence report, we got information that a cult group was holding meeting at No. 9, Udensi Street and we deployed anti-robbery squad to the place. On arrival, a group of men believed to be cultists were still drinking beer, but on sighting the policemen they took to their heels. The anti-robbery squad noticed that one Igwe Obiajulu dropped his locally made six-round revolver pistol and four live ammunitions, so the police gave him a wide chase, caught and arrested him," he said.
Wokoma, who paraded the suspects at the Command headquarters, said Obiajulu Igwe has given the names of 14 other members who are already on the run, assuring that the police were on their trail and would be arrest soon.
Igwe also disclosed that the rival cult group the Black Axe had a show down with was the Brotherhood of Blood, which led to the death of five students with many others seriously injured in a clash that shook the Isieke campus of the University.
The PPRO expressed shock that Obiajulu has repeatedly refused to reveal the source of the gun and ammunitions, saying the police have intensified the hunt for the other cultists who have fled the institution.
He also disclosed that the University has written to the police to provide special security to the institution during its forthcoming exams so that cultists would not disrupt the exercise.
Meanwhile, Obiajulu, who is still in police custody, told newsmen that he was actually in possession of the revolver pistol and the four ammunitions recovered by the police, but claimed that they belonged to another cultist, and not himself.
He said that he renounced his membership of secret cult known as New Black Movement last year but explained that there was still strong need for him to always remain armed.
Both Obiajulu and Ibiam claimed that they were not involved in the killing of the students who were victims of the new wave of cult war in the University.
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