No fewer than eight suspected cultists have been arrested by the police in different parts of Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State for murder.
The suspected cultists were members of Eiye and Aiye cult groups who were allegedly involved in the death of a notorious cultist, popularly known as Ofada.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi disclosed this on Monday in a statement.
Oyeyemi said the Command on Sunday clamped down on members of cult groups who embarked on a supremacy battle in Ifo Area of the state.
He said the supremacy battle claimed the life of one of them simply identified as Ofada who was shot dead by rival cultists.
According to Oyeyemi, a distress call was subsequently made to the police in Ifo Division Headquarters and the DPO, CSP Adekunle Adeniyi quickly led his men to the scene where they met two others with gunshot injuries.
He said, “The DPO and his men subsequently moved and traced the rampaging cultists to Iyana Coker Area where three amongst them namely: Soji Olamilekan, 29, Shobande Olalekan, 26, and Solomon Fadebi 33, were arrested.
“On interrogation, they informed the police that other members have fled to Osuke area of Onipanu Ota where they were planning to launch another round of attack.
“Based on the information, the DPO Onipanu Division was contacted and he quickly moved to Osuke area where he met a group of cultists holding a meeting in a bush.
“On sighting the policemen, the hoodlums took to their heels but they were hotly chased and with the assistance of the youths in the area, four amongst the cultists, Balogun Oluwaseun, 22, Joseph Onwe, 24, Peter Raphael, 22, and Yusuf Emmanuel, 26, were apprehended.”
Oyeyemi further said while the investigation was going on, information got to the police that one of the cultists was seen receiving treatment for a gunshot injury in Arobiye Village Ota.
He said the DPO Onipanu swiftly moved in there and got the suspect, 22-year-old Toheeb Olorunkemi, arrested.
The PPRO said, “He confessed to participating in the Ifo crisis where he received gunshot injury.”
Recovered from the arrested suspects are one locally made pistol, six live cartridges, four different types of handsets, one black beret and a small bag.
“The corpse of the slain cultist has been recovered and taken to the general hospital mortuary Ifo, while the injured ones have been taken to the same general hospital for medical care.”
He said the Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, has ordered the transfer of the suspects to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation.
The PPRO added that the CP also directed a serious manhunt for the remaining members of the groups in order to put their notorious activities to a permanent end.
