Cultists kill retired police officer and son in Benue

Suspected cult members on Thursday killed a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police, Daniel Akogwu, and his son, Oche, in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

The gang had at about 4am invaded the residence of the retired officer located around the police headquarters in Makurdi.

They were reportedly searching for one of Daniel’s children, who allegedly belonged to a rival cult.

A neighbour, who identified himself as Adah, told our correspondent that the cultists laid in ambush at the entrance to the Akogwus’ house, waiting for someone to open the gate.

He said, “The man’s wife, who is a food seller, opened the gate and when she saw the large number of cultists at the entrance, she raised the alarm.

“The scream attracted the attention of the man, who took his cutlass behind his bed and ran out to find out why his wife was shouting.

“It was at that point that the cult boys opened fire on him. On sighting Oche, they also shot and killed him.

“The cultists attempted to set the corpses and the house ablaze, but were prevented by policemen, who recovered the bodies.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, confirmed the incident.

Yamu said although no arrest had been made, investigations were ongoing.

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