A BBC Africa Eye investigation has linked Edo state deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, and lots of other politicians in Edo state to Black Axe cult.
The investigation claimed the Edo deputy governor is a member of the Neo Black Movement of Africa (NBM), a student fraternity formed at the University of Benin in the 1970s.
During interviews with senior members of the NBM in Lagos, their legal representative confirmed that “a number of politicians” are members. He went on to name the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, as an example.
“There are a lot of people that are members of our organisation and there is nothing to hide about it,” said Aliu Hope, one of the NBM’s solicitors.
BBC Africa Eye however reported that the Black Axe cult group grew out of the student fraternity. The NBM’s symbol was a black axe breaking chains, and its founders said their aim was to fight oppression. The NBM was inspired by the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, but in structure, secrecy and brotherly commitment, it mirrored societies like the Freemasons, which had a presence in Nigeria during the colonial era.
Meanwhile, a former leader of the cult identified as Dr Stone claimed Black Axe and the NBM – beneath the surface – are the same organisation. He is speaking from experience. He was not only a member of Black Axe, but also a chairman within the NBM in their heartland of Benin City.
“We have members in the Nigerian army, navy, air force. We have those in academia. We have priests, pastors,” he said.
Also, many of the documents were sourced from an email account that belonged to Augustus Bemigho-Eyeoyibo, the president of the NBM between 2012 and 2016.
These files suggest Mr Bemigho, a successful investor and hotelier, has engaged in large-scale internet fraud.
The BBC verified two major cases from the data in which Mr Bemigho appears to have been involved in inheritance scams targeting UK and US citizens. The victims told us they were defrauded of more than $3.3m.
“We have removed him close to 1M dollar,” says one message, referencing a victim, sent to Mr Bemigho by a suspected co-conspirator. The email contains the victim’s full name, email address and number, and instructions on how to progress the scam.
The documents suggest Mr Bemigho sent scam formats to a network of collaborators on at least 50 occasions. One message, discussing the expansion of the NBM, suggests he requested members establish NGOs around the world in order to “rake in millions”.
When messaging NBM members in the emails, Mr Bemigho addresses them as “Aye Axemen”. In one response, which appears to have been sent to Mr Bemigho via Facebook messenger, he is addressed as “national elder Black Axe”.
Likewise, Tony Kabaka, a self-confessed “cultist” and member of the NBM, spent years working for the government in Benin, up until 2019. During this time, through his company Akugbe Ventures, he employed more than 7,000 tax collectors, generating billions in revenue for the state.
Since leaving politics, Mr Kabaka has faced repeated assassination attempts. His mansion, a huge white building with Roman columns, is littered with bullet holes.
“If you sat me down and say, ‘Can you identify Black Axe in government?’ I will identify,” he says. “Most politicians, almost everybody is involved.”
Shaibu, however, twice failed to turn up to interviews arranged by the BBC.
The reporters said; “When we sent the government of Edo State and Mr Shaibu our allegations that they have links to Black Axe, they did not respond”.
