Suspected cultists kill anti-cult member in Delta, one injured, another escapes

Following cult clashes in Mosogar Community, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, suspected cultists on Sunday, October 12, attacked and stabbed to death a serving Anti-Cult member under the Sapele Police Command, Joshua Umukoro.

One member of the group was injured, while another escaped from the deadly hoodlums.

The injured victim is currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital in the area, DAILY POST can report.

It was learnt that the suspected cultists killed the deceased at a meeting he attended in the town.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, in a message sent to our correspondent, said, “Not confirmed yet.”

The situation has caused serious tension within the area, as some residents have fled the town.

A cousin of the deceased, Efemena Umukoro, a human rights activist, confirmed the report in a telephone chat with our correspondent in Warri. He said, “I was supposed to be in that meeting, but I declined to attend. The suspected cultists had threatened to kill him because he was using his Anti-Cult group to arrest their members and hand them over to the Police. They said he was a stumbling block and vowed they were going to take him out.”

Umukoro said he warned his cousin not to attend the meeting but to shift it to another date. “Being that he likes to get results at all costs, he went. Getting there, he met strange people; he was ambushed and stabbed in the neck. They injured another person who is critically ill and hospitalized, receiving treatment. We are praying to God that he survives. One person escaped,” he said.

Contrary to reports on various social media platforms, Umukoro said his younger cousin, whom he described as a ‘general,’ was not a cultist as wrongly speculated. According to him, “I want to correct the wrong narrative online. Joshua Umukoro is an Anti-Cult member in Mosogar. He has been very, very useful in curtailing violent cult activities.”

Umukoro explained that his younger cousin was also a human rights activist who led a protest three years ago when Mosogar community was thrown into darkness due to a power outage. “At the venue of the protest, the oppressors used the Police to arrest him. I called the then CP, Ali Mohammed, who released him two days later to me. Again, I asked the Police to give me security, and I led a protest in Mosogar. Since I was the leader of the protest, nobody was arrested. They (Stepdown) brought a transformer, and that was how we started enjoying light in Mosogar.”

Umukoro also said the deceased and the Anti-Cult team once went into the forest and arrested suspected Fulani herdsmen who were carrying out criminal activities, including killing women, girls, and other residents of the community, and handed them over to the Police.

While noting that cult clashes in Mosogar have claimed many lives, Umukoro alleged that the sponsors of the suspected cultists are “rich” and “wealthy” individuals who had previously threatened him.

Umukoro further stated, “We are not suspecting anybody. We’re leaving the investigation to the Police despite various threats against us.

“We want the Delta State Police Command, led by CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, to look into this issue and unravel the mystery behind the death. He is a gallant CP who has not failed us in Delta. The only thing he can do is to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book.”

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