In an intensified crackdown on cultism and ritual-related crimes in Edo State, the state government on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, reportedly demolished a building and sealed another suspected to be havens for cultists and ritualists in Uromi, the administrative headquarters of Esan North-East Local Government Area.
The operation, carried out under the state’s “Operation Flush Out Kidnappers and Cultists,” took a horrifying turn when security operatives discovered the decomposing body of a gateman inside one of the properties, triggering a murder and suspected ritual-related investigation that has sent shockwaves through Uromi and beyond.
According to a statement by Dr. Patrick Akhere Ebojele, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, the operation was witnessed by senior personnel of the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC), the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies under the supervision of top security officials attached to the governor.
But beyond the bulldozers, shattered walls and recovery of suspected ritual items lies a disturbing reality, for about a month, the gateman, identified as Mildah Dalandi, lay dead inside an apartment while neighbours went about their daily activities. Vehicles moved in and out of the area, and the bustling community carried on with its routines. Yet, behind closed doors, his decomposing body remained undiscovered until a foul stench forced residents to raise the alarm.
Speaking during the exercise, the Secretary of the Edo State Security Squad, Barr. John Izegaegbe, said the intervention followed intelligence reports and field findings in the area.
“We are here on the marching orders of Governor Monday Okpebholo, and upon arriving here, we discovered that this is a murder and suspected ritual case,” he said.
The statement disclosed that security operatives gained access to the property on June 2, 2026, where they discovered the decomposing body.
The investigation subsequently led security agencies to another property allegedly linked to two brothers, Eweh Favour and Eweh Bright, who have since been declared wanted and are currently on the run along with other persons yet to be identified.
The governor’s spokesman further quoted Barr. Izegaegbe as saying, “Medical experts confirmed that the body found in the building, identified as that of the gateman, Mildah Dalandi, had been decomposing in the apartment for about one month.”
The state government alleged that evidence recovered from the premises indicated that the building was being used for cult-related activities, including the initiation of new members.
Among the items reportedly recovered were laptops, machetes, battle axes, native pots, candles, a red-coloured liquid suspected to have been used for rituals, identity documents and photographs, including one bearing the inscription, “Singapore Ritualist.”
For many residents, however, the most disturbing aspect of the case remains the fate of the gateman whose body lay undiscovered for weeks.
Questions continue to linger. How did the gateman die? Why was his body abandoned? What transpired inside the apartment where he spent his final days? And what secrets died with him? Was he the only victim, why was he not declared missing or could more persons be linked to the ongoing investigation?
While the demolished structures now lie in ruins, the tragedy of the gateman and the unanswered questions surrounding his final days continue to cast a dark shadow over the Ebhoijie-Uromi community and beyond.
As the Governor Monday Okpebholo-led administration and security agencies intensify efforts to track down the fleeing suspects, residents hope the ongoing investigation will provide answers and justice for a man whose death was only discovered after a stench exposed what the government has described as a house of horror.
