Tony Kabaka, a popular political thug, has accused Adams Oshiomhole, the former governor of Edo state, of promoting and encouraging cult violence in order to consolidate political power.
Mr Kabaka stated in the video, “So Oshiomhole did it for me, I was nothing before,” adding, “Cultism still survives because the government is involved.”
This comes after the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired a program about the Black Axe Confraternity, also known as Aiye.
The investigations detail the relationship between the brutal cult and the Neo Black Movement of Africa, the group’s legal organization.
The BBC explores the roots and beginnings of the cult group, which was formed to combat tyranny and campaign for student rights, with no notion it would develop into a disaster, in an hour-long movie released to YouTube.
Mr Kabaka acknowledged his close ties to politicians, particularly Mr Oshiomhole. Politicians utilize him and other cult leaders as muscle during elections, he told the BBC.
The report also brings up hacked emails from 2012, when Mr Oshiomhole won his second term as governor of Nigeria for the Action Congress of Nigeria, revealing how N35 million naira was sent to bank accounts controlled by the Neo Black Movement ahead of an election campaign by multiple political figures.
The members of the cult group were offered a total of 80 political offices and roles in exchange for their services, according to the investigation.
At the time of reporting this story, attempts to contact Mr Oshiomhole for comment on his role in the Black Axe’s activities were unsuccessful since his spokeswoman did not answer to calls or messages.
The Black Axe movement’s activities have drew the notice of security personnel both at home and abroad.
Recall that the governor of Akwa Ibom state, Udom Emmanuel, issued an order in 2020 declaring “cults, societies, and groups,” including the Black Axe, “hereby proclaimed outlawed.”