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The Oyo State Police Command has arrested a serving police corporal and eight other suspects in separate operations targeting alleged cultism and kidnapping across the state.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Ani Iniedu, disclosed this in an operational report released on Thursday, November 12, 2026. He said the arrests followed a raid on a suspected Aiye Confraternity hideout and a separate operation that led to the rescue of a kidnapped man.
Iniedu said operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit, Oyo Operational Base, raided the suspected cult hideout on November 8, 2026, arresting five suspects. One of those arrested was Corporal Olayinka Oluwatobi, with force number 538195, who was attached to MOPOL 72, Ago-Are, and seconded to Sports Eleyele, Ibadan.
Other suspects arrested during the raid were identified as Ayandiran Samuel, allegedly the fraternity’s armourer, and Adeyinka Qudus, described by the police as the cult leader. The operation also led to the recovery of an English-made Beretta pistol and three locally fabricated pistols.
The police spokesperson said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Ibadan for further investigation. The command is expected to establish the level of involvement of each suspect and determine whether other individuals were connected to the alleged cult activities.
In a separate operation on the same date, police operatives working with the Vigilante Group of Nigeria rescued a 30-year-old man, Abubakar Amidu, from Oteon/Odi Owo Forest. Amidu was reportedly abducted on October 31, 2026, and was found alive during the rescue operation on November 8.
Four suspects were arrested in connection with the abduction. They were identified as Abdullahi Bello, Mohammed Kontagora, Alhaji Ali and Usman Alhaji Ali. Police also recovered the victim’s mobile phone and a chain and lock allegedly used to restrain him.
Iniedu said investigations into both incidents were ongoing, while operatives were working to track down other possible suspects. The arrests and rescue form part of the command’s efforts to tackle cultism, kidnapping and other criminal activities in Oyo State.
