Edo state police command on Wednesday paraded thirty-six suspects arrested for kidnapping, cultism and armed robbery incidents in the state.

Twenty-eight of the suspects were arrested for cultism including a forty-five-year-old mother of nine selling Indian hemp and ‘monkey tail’ to the cultists.

The police said it was in the house of the woman that a meeting was held before the group went out for any operation.

The command public relations officer, Chidi Nwabuzor said the cultists were arrested at different locations on different dates and time.

He listed them to be members of Black Axe, Aiye, Eiye and Vikings confraternities.

Another set of cultists promoting native war were also paraded by the police with two pump action guns, five 7.62mm live ammunition, twenty live cartridges, sixty-six expense cartridges and thirty-five expended 7.62mm ammunition.

“A detachment of police that responded to distress call on 20th of February this year arrested twenty-five-year-old Osasu Monday and forty-year-old Ogbe Eguagie for allegedly inciting members of Amagba, Okoroma and Obazagbon communities into native war, thereby causing breakdown if law and order, destruction and vandalization of properties in the three communities and environs,” said Nwabuzor.

“They confessed to being members of the criminal societies and we’re involved in perpetrating all sorts of atrocities and criminalities in the state. Two cut to size guns were recovered from them.”

Nwabuzor also parades five suspected kidnappers Lucky Asaba, Nyerovwo Sunday, Henry Emohuro, David George and Omovike Kennedy.

Lucky Asaba was said to be member and leader of the gang that killed three policemen on 24th September 2017 and kidnapped the Managing Director of Ogba zoo in Benin, Mr Andy Ehanire who is the younger brother of the minister of health, Mr Osagie Ehanire.

Three cut to size guns and five live cartridges were recovered from them.

Nwabuzor explained that the harvest of arrest was in continuation of the onslaught against crime and criminality in the state.

He said the command reiterates on the need for citizens to be vigilant at all times and to report any clandestine activities in their domain for prompt attention of the police and other security agencies.