UPDATED: IMT Graduate, ANSU Final Year Student, Police Officer Nabbed During Cult Initiation

A graduate, a final year student and a police constable have been arrested by officers of the Joint Task Force during cult initiation rites in Abavo, Delta State.

Onyema Collins, a graduate of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu, Emmanuel Iwezue, a final year Microbiology Student of the Anambra State University (ANSU) and Isaiah Abuke, attached to Owa-Oyibu Divisional Police Headquarters in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State were caught during the the initiation ceremony of new members.

A source quoted in a The Eagle Online report stated that the cultists attracted attention to themselves when they started shooting sporadically into the air during the initiation.

“The highly elated members of the cult group were basking in the euphoria of their newly caught members and started shooting sporadically into the air before the residents in the locality swiftly alerted men of the JTF deployed to Agbor," the source said.

“The team immediately mobilized to the area from where the three suspects were arrested.”

The report further stated that the suspects confessed to be cultists during interrogation and fingered constable Abuke as the supplier of their weapons whenever they had operations.

Cultism has been a headache for police in Delta state with the state.

The Delta State Police Commissioner, Mr Ikechukwu Aduba, in a March interview with , said cultism has become so rife in Delta state that even pupils in primary schools are actively involved.

According to him the cultists graduate from petty crimes into more violent crimes and blamed cultism for the high incidence killings, armed robbery and kidnapping in the state.