Tension gripped Auchi, Edo State, on Tuesday following a violent clash between members of rival cult groups, resulting in the death of an alleged Eiye member in front of his daughter.
According to reports circulating on social media, the perpetrators believed to be affiliated with the Aye Confraternity, arrived at the scene in a Lexus car.
NaijaConfra, a social media platform dedicated to combating cult-related violence in Nigeria, reported the incident on Wednesday.
According to Naija Confra, the violence was a retaliatory attack orchestrated by members of the Aye group in response to the killing of an Aye member identified as Emma, who was murdered on Monday in Auchi.
“Naija Confra can now confirm that the Aye member named Emma, eliminated in Auchi on Monday, whose assailants were initially unknown, was indeed carried out by members of Eiye, as the events of yesterday were a retaliation for that attack,” the platform wrote on its page.
Despite the presence of the victim’s daughter, the assailants launched their attack swiftly, abandoning their vehicle and weapons at the scene.
Local vigilante groups reportedly pursued the assailants, prompting them to flee the area.
The incident occurred behind Farnet in Auchi, according to reports.
Videos shared online depicted the deceased lying lifeless on the ground and the abandoned car allegedly used by the perpetrators.
As of now, the Edo State Police Command has not issued an official statement regarding the incident.
It is worth noting, that the state Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, was not aware of the incident and requested our correspondent to call back in an hour for confirmation.