By: Truth Live News Investigative Desk
As the Edo State Government intensifies its relentless war against cultism, criminality, and social disorder, an unsettling development threatens to undermine these gains, not within Edo, but over 300 kilometres away in the southeastern state of Ebonyi.
Truth Live News has uncovered a disturbing plot: a suspected nationwide gathering of cultists, set to be hosted from August 7th to 10th in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State’s capital. The event, shrouded in secrecy and branded as a harmless “convention,” is allegedly spearheaded by a notorious cult kingpin, Ese Kakor, believed to be the commander of the dreaded Black Axe syndicate, a man currently wanted by the Edo State Government for forgery, criminal conspiracy, and alleged links to violent crimes.
A Convention or a Cult Syndicate Summit?
According to multiple sources within Ebonyi’s security architecture, the event is set to be held at Remeritona Hotel and Suites, with spillover accommodation arranged in the following high-profile hotels:
Monabliss Hotel
San Diego Hotel
Franklin Hotel
Fiesta
Clevero
Blossom Height
Virginland Hotel
Ryan Hotel
Woodcrest Luxury & Suites
Eyewitness reports confirm the unusual movement of young men into Abakaliki this week, with many of them moving in clusters, some wearing coded dress patterns, raising alarms among concerned citizens and civil society groups.
The alleged coordinator of the event, a Delta State-born figure known in underworld circles, has been under intense scrutiny in Edo State. Government sources accuse him of using the name of a social development organisation to launder influence, sow internal division, sponsor petitions against state officials, and most dangerously, shield cult operatives from justice.
Though his name is withheld for legal reasons, his notoriety is widely known among law enforcement agencies across the South-South and South-East. Despite pending court cases, multiple petitions, and public calls for his arrest, he continues to roam free, now allegedly repositioning his influence in Ebonyi.
The Edo State Government’s crackdown on cultism, particularly since mid-2024, has led to the disbandment of several dangerous cells and the rehabilitation of hundreds of youth formerly trapped in cult networks. However, experts warn that without national coordination, regional cult migration is inevitable.
Citizens, Civil Society Raise the Alarm
In Ebonyi, early rumblings of protest are already emerging. A local advocacy group, Peace Front Ebonyi, released a statement on Wednesday demanding that the state government and police authorities “act decisively to prevent our state from becoming a safe haven for fugitive cult lords.”
The Ebonyi State Police Command has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of the gathering.
Meanwhile, calls are mounting for a joint interstate task force to monitor cult activity and prevent criminal regrouping in unsuspecting states.