black axe feel untouchable. when we asked the government in benin city for an interview on cultism, they refused to talk. nobody in power here is taking responsibility for this tragedy. at the university of benin, i met dr stone for the last time. after a lifetime of cult violence, he's fighting to end it. he's formed what he calls a rainbow coalition, a network of former cultists and professors who are trying to prevent killings. the former butcher... ..has turned protector. it seems almost everyone touched by cultism is burdened by trauma, even those who commit the atrocities. do you remember the faces of the people you killed? dr stone may want to forget his past, but the countless cult killings he witnessed still haunt him. as we sat, a painful memory returned. a0 years of cult violence has sent countless young men to their graves. my friend, dapo, was one of them. he was just 25 when he was murdered. this is dapo's grave. and it looks completely abandoned. it's literally falling apart. even the headstone's

black axe feel untouchable. when we asked the government in benin city for an interview on cultism, they refused to talk. nobody in power here is taking responsibility for this tragedy. at the university of benin, i met dr stone for the last time. after a lifetime of cult violence, he's fighting to end it. he's formed what he calls a rainbow coalition, a network of former cultists and professors who are trying to prevent killings. it seems almost everyone touched by cultism is burdened by trauma, even those who commit the atrocities. do you remember the faces of the people you killed? dr stone may want to forget his past, but the countless cult killings he witnessed still haunt him. as we sat, a painful memory returned. a0 years of cult violence has sent countless young men to their graves. my friend, dapo, was one of them. he wasjust 25 when he was murdered. this is dapo's grave. and it looks completely abandoned. it's literally falling apart. even the headstone's missing. coming here is supposed to give me, li

this is the heartland of the black axe mafia. , - of the black axe mafia. , benin. it was here where black axe first emerged. it has grown into one of the most feared crime syndicate in the world. in your days as a member, what was your role? i in your days as a member, what was your role?— was your role? i was the butcher _ was your role? i was the butcher stop _ was your role? i was the butcher stop what - was your role? i was the butcher stop what was i was your role? i was the i butcher stop what was the was your role? i was the - butcher stop what was the job of the butcher? to butcher stop what was the “0b of the butcher?d of the butcher? to eliminate. doctor stone _ of the butcher? to eliminate. doctor stone who _ of the butcher? to eliminate. doctor stone who is - of the butcher? to eliminate. doctor stone who is now - of the butcher? to eliminate. . doctor stone who is now working elsewhere says the x—men have infiltrated all levels of nigerian society. —— axemen. army, navy, air force. in the judiciary. army, navy, air force. in the judiciary-—

i'm on the trail of the black axe, my country's deadliest cult group. this place is incredible. we're literally travelling over raw sewage, but this is the only way we can access the black axe cult in makoko. it's taken months to negotiate a meeting and we have no idea what to expect. we're having to go through the back way, in order to get to this place because we can't be seen to be coming there openly. we're trying to avoid being tracked by, possibly, rival cults or even the police.

it was here where black axe first emerged 40 years ago. this morning, several bodies were found with their heads it was here where black axe first emerged 40 years ago. it was once about peace, but has grown into one of the most feared crime syndicates in the world. oh, my god! in your days as a member, what was your role? i was a butcher, but i became a chairman. what was thatjob of a butcher? to eliminate. dr stone, who is now working to end cult violence, says the axemen have infiltrated all levels of nigerian society. there are a lot of members in the assembly, the executive, the army, navy, the air force. they have them in the judiciary. we have people who are pastors! the bbc has been given thousands of documents that appear to back up allegations politicians are involved. this is augustus bemigho, a member of the ruling apc party in nigeria. the evidence suggests he was once the head of black axe and orchestrated millions of dollars of internet fraud. he's the head of a criminal organisation. that is a scandal, that the head of a cr

the nigeria based �*black axe' is one of the most feared and powerful organised crime groups in the world. peter macjob went on a journey to meet the axemen face to face — and to find out who is behind the group. a warning that this programme contains scenes which viewers may find upsetting. this morning several bodies found with their heads decapitated - were littered around the city. 13 people have been killed in cult—related killings - within the past week. a secret death cult is thriving in nigeria. more terrifying than anything i've ever seen. they've been accused of countless murders at home and abroad. around the world, crime agencies are cracking down on their multimillion dollar internet fraud and human trafficking network. but here in their homeland, the cults seem unstoppable. and thousands of young lives have been destroyed. after 20 years abroad, i've come back to nigeria to investigate this deadly mafia.

now on bbc news, the nigeria—based black axe is one of the most feared and powerful organised crime groups in the world. peter macjob went on a journey to meet the axemen face—to—face

this is benin city, the hub land of the black axe mafia. - it was here that black axe emerged 40 it was here that black axe emerged a0 years ago. it was once about peace, but has grown into one of the most feared crime syndicates in the world. in your days as a member, what was your role? i in your days as a member, what was our role? . , in your days as a member, what was our role? .,, ., , . in your days as a member, what was your role?_ what - in your days as a member, what was| your role?_ what was your role? i was a butcher. what was that “ob? your role? i was a butcher. what was that job? to — your role? i was a butcher. what was that job? to eliminate. _ your role? i was a butcher. what was that job? to eliminate. dr— your role? i was a butcher. what was that job? to eliminate. dr stone, - that “ob? to eliminate. dr stone, now that job? to eliminate. dr stone, now working _ that job? to eliminate. dr stone, now working to — that job? to eliminate. dr stone, now working to end _ that job? to eliminate. dr stone, now working to end cult - that job? to eliminate. dr stone,