The Edo State Police Command said it has arrested some lecturers of the Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, for allegedly engaging in cult-related activities.
The Commissioner of Police, Haliru Gwandu, who disclosed this to journalists in Benin, yesterday added that several firearms were recovered from the arrested academics.
Gwandu also said that among those arrested was a professor, from whom a double-barrelled gun, single-barrelled gun and one pump action gun were allegedly recovered.
“The professor was arrested. He was granted bail. The case is under investigation,” he said.
The police commissioner’s statement came less than a week after the command refuted reports that its operatives allegedly brutalised the Dean of the Faculty of Law of the university, Prof. Sunday Edeko.
The commissioner expressed displeasure over the high rate of cultism around the institution located in Esan West Local Government Area, which he said had claimed many lives.
According to him, there had been distress calls from members of the university community that cult group were unleashing mayhem in the area.
He explained, “It was a distress call from the community; the university community made a call that cult groups were killing and they killed so many.
“And when the (policemen) went to inspect a site, they discovered more than 14 beheaded students at that particular time.”
He, however, vowed that the police would ensure that the leaders and members of cult groups in the area were arrested and charged to court.
Gwandu said, “We have a lot of issues with that particular university. There are some senior lecturers that were apprehended with firearms.
“So, we are going to arrest those who are mentoring and those who are real cultists and charge them to court. There is no going back.”