A 43-year-old fashion designer, Lawrence Edobor, was gruesomely murdered and beheaded by suspected ritualists in the Evbuotubu area of Benin City in the early hours of Friday.
According to The PUNCH, Edobor, who owned a fashion shop in Eweka, was reportedly returning home from a burial ceremony when he was ambushed around 2 a.m. Residents of the area were left in shock following the brutal killing.
A local resident, who preferred anonymity, described the horrifying incident. “He had attended a funeral earlier that evening. As he walked home, some men suspected to be ritualists attacked him. They killed him and severed his head before fleeing,” the resident said.
However, luck ran out for one of the suspects when operatives of the Edo State Security Corps intercepted him while attempting to escape.
“One of them was caught with the victim’s head inside a polythene bag,” the source added. “He tried to escape again during interrogation but was eventually overpowered and arrested.”
The Edo State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Saturday by its Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu.
According to him, the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Uwadiae Airebiuwa of Igbinudu Street, Evbuotubu Quarters, was apprehended during a patrol by security operatives.
“On March 7, 2025, at about 3:00 a.m., officers from Evbuotubu Division, in collaboration with vigilante members, arrested one Uwadiae Airebiuwa in possession of a fresh human head wrapped in a polythene bag,” Yamu stated.
“During interrogation, he led officers to the decapitated body of the victim, which was found abandoned along the road near Eweka Shopping Plaza,” he added. The remains were later identified by a family member and moved to the hospital for preservation while investigations continue.
Edo State Commissioner of Police, Betty Otimenyin, condemned the gruesome act and assured that efforts were underway to apprehend the fleeing members of the gang.
“We sympathize with the family of the deceased and assure them that we will not rest until every individual involved in this barbaric act is arrested and prosecuted,” Otimenyin stated.
She also urged young people to pursue lawful means of livelihood, warning against criminal activities. “Crime may seem like a shortcut to riches, but it always leads to destruction,” she advised.
