Four alleged “Black Axe” members have been detained by Bauchi Police Command agents while attending a cult initiation ceremony for prospective recruits.
The initiation was reportedly held at midnight on September 2, 2023, in the outskirts of Bauchi, directly across from the Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa University’s Gubi Campus, on the Kano-Bauchi Road.
The accused were revealed to be Zaharaddeen Hassan, 19, and Eric Nuhu, 23, both 500-level ATBU students. Felix John, a 24-year-old student at the Federal Polytechnic in Bauchi, holds a Higher National Diploma. two students: Daniel Masaka from the Karu Local Government Area in Nasarawa State and one from the Federal Polytechnic in Bauchi.
These were disclosed by the command in a statement made accessible to journalists on Friday by the spokesperson, SP Ahmed Wakil.
Wakil claimed that during questioning, the first and second suspects admitted to being inducted into the cult after being invited by one of their classmates, Abbas Apeh “m,” a 500-level student at the same ATBU.
The third and fourth suspects, he continued, admitted to being long-time members of the cult and that they had been invited by other members of their group to participate in the initiation ceremony for the newcomers.
He claims that efforts are underway to capture the eluding accomplices, and that upon their capture, the suspects will be brought before a judge to face charges for the established violations.