Benin City currently engulfed in Cu!t clash

In the past few days, Benin City has experienced numerous cu!t-related f!ghts that have claimed the lives of at least eight people. The violenc€, particularly in zones like Upper Sokponba Road, has elicited concern and outrage from the community and has led to appeals to native rulers, including the traditional monarch of the Benin kingdom, Oba Ewuare II.

The Escalation of Violenc€

The renewed cu!t w*r appears to be a conflict between two notor!ous groups; these include the Supreme Eiye Confratern!ty and the Supreme Vikings Confratern!ty. It has been documented that the v!olence intensified for a short time, as other sources indicate that the d€ath toll could have hit twenty within three days of the v!olence.

The v!olence is said to have erupted when both factions tried to negotiate their differences during a meeting at Tipper Garage in Idogbo. Unluckily, this move towards reconciliation did not work out in their favor to integrate, and later there was more bloodsh€d. One insider revealed,

“The attempt to settle the matter did not work due to the existing long-standing bitterness between the groups.”

The Cycle of Retaliation

The v!olence has therefore been marked with wanton retaliation. In the first aggress!on committed by Eiye on Vikings, alleged members of the two groups attack€d each other, leading to the shoot!ng of a decea$ed Eiye member by Vikings. This act of vengeance led to retaliation; one of the sources said, “Eiye decided to start their retaliation” after the Vikings kill€d another member called “oil man.” 

This has been compounded by the fact that one of the groups is said to have a tendency of not accepting apologies, which, as you may agree, makes conflict resolution impractical.

A source said;

“One of the groups does not accept an apology, and the other also does not say sorry.”

Community Response

Different community organizations have also started to come out to express their concern and call for action.

The Benin United Forum (BUF) has, through its umbrella organizations, openly called on the Oba of Benin to intervene through invoking traditional juju over those involved in the gruesome k!lli!ngs in Benin City. In a statement, they said,

“We the angry youths of Benin kingdom humbly appeal to Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolo Kpolo Oba Ewuare II, to direct our Ohens (Chief Priests) across the entire Benin kingdom to impose curse(s) on those who are using cult!sm to k!ll themselves.” 

The Role of Law Enforcement

In the same light, the Network of Civil Society Organizations (NOCSON), has condemned the inaction of the police, especially the prohibition of vigilante groups in the state. They said that this ban has led to an increase in the incidences of cr!me and v!olenc€ in the country, including the cu!t clashes.

NOCSON’s president, Comrade Ogbidi Emmanuel, said,

“The ban on vigilantes was declared early this year by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun; it has definitely contributed to a great increase in cr!me to an alarming level.”

The police have come out to address it but have not delivered a strong response about the situation. On his part, Police Public Relations Officer Moses Yamu noted that the police would respond to the matter at the right time, but members of the community still await the authorities to act on the matter and curb the k!ll!ngs.

The broader implications

The existence of cu!t v!olence in Benin City is not just a local problem; it is a symptom of the country’s bigger problems, such as insufficient law enforcement, and the practice of secret cu!ts in Nigerian culture. In the light of violenc€, many youths have been k!lled, and this has brought issues to do with the future of society and the effectiveness of current systems of governance as well as security.

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Conclusion

The present-day upsurge in cu!t violenc€ in Benin City is a pointer to what many communities face in Nigeria.

As it stands, it is pertinent for all stakeholders—government, traditional leaders, and civil society—to merge ideas that will ultimately facilitate the curbing of cu!t clashes in Benin City and the country at large.