By Our Correspondent
A young couple facing life threats from violence in Edo State according to our correspondent have narrated a harrowing tale of terror, torture and loss after allegedly being attacked by suspected cultists in their residence in Lagos.
According to information gathered by our correspondent, Mr. Ogechukwuka Mukolu, a Christian and resident of Mafoluku area of Oshodi, Lagos, alongside his wife, Mariam, fled Benin City earlier in 2025 after repeated threats linked to cult-related violence.
The couple reportedly escaped from Benin City on February 15, 2025, and temporarily stayed with a family friend in Lagos while attempting to rebuild their lives away from danger. By May 27, 2025, they had secured a rented apartment and opened a shop in the Oshodi/Isolo axis, hoping for a fresh beginning.
However, tragedy struck on the night of August 27, 2025.
Sources disclosed that at aroubd 1:00 am, four armed men stormed the couple’s residence and unleashed terror on them. Ogechukwuka was reportedly beaten and tortured with a heated cutlass, while his wife was violently assaulted during the attack. The incident allegedly led to the loss of her two months old pregnancy following severe bleeding.
Neighbours, alarmed by the woman’s cries for help, reportedly contacted the police. But before security operatives arrived at the scene, the attackers had fled.
Residents in the area were said to have witnessed the assailants escaping but were too frightened to intervene.
Police officers later arrived and reportedly rushed the injured couple to the hospital where they received treatment for several days. Ogechukwuka was discharged on September 7, 2025, while his wife regained freedom from medical care three days later on September 10.
Speaking through sources close to the family, the couple disclosed that fear of another attack prevented them from returning home after leaving the hospital. Instead, they reportedly sent an acquaintance to recover some personal belongings from their residence before relocating to stay with relatives at an undisclosed location.
In a desperate bid to fund another relocation, the couple allegedly arranged for their shop and household property to be auctioned.
Further investigation by our correspondent revealed that Ogechukwuka’s ordeal may have stemmed from events dating back to August 18, 2024, when he allegedly witnessed a violent crime along Ekenhua Road in Benin City while returning home late at night.
At the time, he had reportedly travelled to Edo State on behalf of Shimek Investment Ltd., a haulage and logistics company, in search of land, permits and workers for a proposed branch office. To support himself during the period, he reportedly worked as a taxi driver while his wife later joined him in February 2024.
Sources alleged that after witnessing the incident, Ogechukwuka reported the matter to the police and subsequently became an informant, providing intelligence that allegedly led to a police raid on a suspected cultist hideout and the arrest of several members, including a gang leader.
However, some suspects reportedly escaped arrest.
The situation allegedly took a dangerous turn on January 30, 2025, after Ogechukwuka left a branch of First Bank of Nigeria located on Sapele Road in Benin City. He was reportedly ambushed, forced into a waiting vehicle, blindfolded and taken to a hideout where he was beaten unconscious and threatened with death.
According to eyewitness accounts and police sources, the attackers allegedly demanded that he begin supplying information to them instead of assisting law enforcement authorities.
Fearing for his life, Ogechukwuka was said to have formally lodged complaints with the police and sought protection. The account was reportedly corroborated by Sgt. Okoye Amos.
As of the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of the couple remain unknown, while their families got traumatized in the process.
