A two-year BBC investigation has uncovered shocking details about Black Axe, a Nigerian student fraternity that evolved into a global mafia-style gang. The group is notorious for extreme violence, including naked blood-drinking rituals during initiations, and has infiltrated politics while running a worldwide scamming and killing operation.
Dr John Stone, a former senior member who now lectures at the University of Benin, described the horrors he witnessed and participated in. 'It's so painful,' he said, recalling the begging of victims before they were killed. Stone, once known as 'a butcher,' admitted to taking part in atrocities and demonstrated how he would execute people with a gun to the forehead.
The BBC obtained thousands of leaked documents from the gang's private communications, spanning 2009 to 2019. These reveal details of murder, drug smuggling, and internet fraud across four continents. In one internal chat post labelled 'Hit,' a photo showed a man with gashes on his head lying in a pool of blood, with a boot print on his back.
Black Axe members use secret forums to share photos of recent murders and tally their kills like a football score. The investigation also exposed how the gang fights a war with rival cults such as the Eiye and Buccaneers, with messages tracking the number of rivals murdered.
