The Delta State Police Command has foiled a suspected cult initiation ceremony in Orogun Community, Ughelli North Local Government Area, recovering firearms, ammunition, seven vehicles and other items during an intelligence-led operation.
The Command disclosed that the operation followed credible intelligence received in the early hours of Sunday, July 19, 2026, indicating that members of the Black Axe Confraternity, also known as Aye, were conducting an initiation ceremony in a forest within Orogun.
Acting on the information, operatives of the Command’s Quick Response Squad (QRS) stormed the location. According to the Police, the suspected cultists opened fire on sighting the operatives, prompting a gun battle.
However, the officers reportedly overpowered the suspects with superior tactical response, forcing them to flee into the adjoining forest along the Abbi–Abraka axis.
A subsequent search of the area led to the recovery of one pump-action gun, one cut-to-size double-barrel gun, seven live cartridges, two expended cartridges, seven vehicles, six mobile phones, suspected cult regalia and other personal belongings believed to have been abandoned by the fleeing suspects.
The Police said all recovered exhibits are in custody, while efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects.
Commending the operatives for the successful operation, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and its sustained crackdown on cultism and other violent crimes across the state.
He also appealed to residents to continue supporting the Police by providing timely and credible information that would aid ongoing efforts to combat criminal activities and enhance public safety in Delta State.
