The police said contrary to reports making the rounds, particularly on the social media, none of the three persons was dead.

“They are all receiving treatment in the hospital and police delegates led by the area commander Adatan had visited them,” said the spokesman of the command, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi.

In a statement he issued on Friday, Oyeyemi disclosed that the clash between the two parties started “when the anti-cultists team were on routine patrol of the metropolis and sighted two amongst the most wanted cultists who have played major roles in various violent clashes in recent time, who are simply identified as ‘’Akuko Beggar’’ and ‘Slim cash’’. The team then rounded the duo up and got them arrested.”

He explained that “as soon as they were arrested, some of their members around the place mobilized and attacked the police team; they succeeded in setting free one of the suspects simply known as “Akuko Beggar” after inflicting several machete cut injuries on one of the policemen, but the other suspect “Slim cash” was taken to custody.

“The hoodlums further mobilised themselves in large numbers, armed with dangerous weapons to attack the divisional headquarters at Enugada, but they were repelled by policemen. In the process, three persons were regrettably hit by stray bullets and they are all recuperating in the hospital.”

Meanwhile, the police command has vowed that the war against cultism would continue, no matter the challenges or propaganda embarked upon by cult members and their sponsors.

He said the command was determined more than ever to rid the state of these hoodlums who had been terrorizing the state and making life difficult for innocent citizens.

He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole, had appealed to the general public to support and cooperate with the police and other security agencies in the onerous task so as to make Ogun State a peaceful place for all to live.

The post Clash with cult: Stray bullets hit three persons, Police confirm appeared first on Frontpageng.

The suspects said to be using dangerous weapons to dispossess members of the public of their belongings were arrested on February 5, 2021.

The suspected cult members are Moses Johnson; Chinedu Okechukwu; Oka Jame;, Mathew John; Moses David; Fuhad Sulaimon; Joseph Emmanuel; Stephen Samuel; Ozon Austin and Ope Taiwo.

They were arrested following a complaint lodged at Ogijo divisional headquarters by one Olaojo Emmanuel who reported that on February 4, 2021, he was attacked with his wife  by a group of men at about 9;30pm and dispossessed of his Iphone 7 plus valued N130, 000, 00 at gun point.

He stated further that he sighted some of those people who robbed him at Ita Oluwo area of Ogijo.

On the strength of his report, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Ogijo division, CSP Muhammed S. Baba, mobilised his men and moved to the scene where ten of the hoodlums were apprehended.

The complainant and other victims of their atrocities have come forward to identify them as those who robbed them at different times.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to state criminal investigation and intelligence department for discreet investigation and diligent prosecution.

The post Ten suspected cult members, robbers terrorising Ogijo arrested appeared first on Frontpageng.

They were arrested on Monday, December 14, at Ilo-Awela Road at Ota Ogun State.

According to the spokesman of the police in Ogun State, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement made available to FrontPage, the suspects are Babatunde Shittu, 25; Ayobami Morenikeji, 15; Fidelis John, 23; Abdullah Adegbenro, 17 and Oyeyemi Bakare, 20.

The spokesman said they were arrested following a distress call received at Sango area Command headquarters that a group of boys were seen with a male corpse in a tricycle heading towards Ota with all of them holding dangerous weapons like cutlasses, cudgels and sticks.

Upon the distress call, Oyeyemi said, the area Commander, Sango-Ota, ACP Monday Agbonnika, quickly mobilised a patrol team to the area where the hoodlums were met on rampage destroying people’s property and stealing from innocent members of the public along Ilo Awela Road.

The police team engaged and subdued them, and five amongst them were subsequently arrested.

On interrogation, they informed the police that they went to a party at Mushin in Lagos and on their way back, fight ensued amongst them and in the process, one of them was overran by a fast moving vehicle and he died on the spot.

They stated further that they were taking the corpse to the families of their attackers namely, Omo Ekun, Lampad and Anko purposely for revenge mission.

The hoodlums, before the arrival of the police, had damaged one Toyota Highlander SUV, with registration number KJA 275GD belonging to one Emmanuel Adekoya.

They also snatched an Infiniti phone from one Falola Olushola and a cash sum of 50,000 from Emmanuel Agbaje.

The corpse was recovered from them and deposited at Ifo General Hospital mortuary for autopsy.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Edward Awolowo Ajogun, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to state criminal investigation and intelligence department for further investigation.

He also appealed to parents to warn their children from partaking in any act capable of undermining the peace of the state as such act would be met with strict resistance.

The post Five suspected cult members arrested with corpse in Ogun appeared first on Frontpageng.

The suspects are Aboyeji Oluwadamilare of Isiwu Ikorodu; Adebiyi Mathew of Aleke Ikorodu; Jacob Solomon of Aleke Ikorodu; Iliasu Jubril of Isiwu Ikorodu; Olubanjo Segun of Odo Iselu Odogbolu and Samuel Olaniyan of Odo-Iselu Odogbolu.

The spokesman of Ogun State Police Command, Mr. Abimbola Oyeyemi, said they were “all apprehended when the four Ikorodu based cult members came to meet the two Odogbolu suspects to foment trouble as a result of a transaction over gun, between the two groups.”

Investigation revealed that the Ikorodu based suspects contracted Samuel Olaniyan to purchase a locally made pistol for them, and when the gun was delivered to them, they discovered that the pistol was not serviceable, hence they came with full force to deal with the Odogbolu based cultist members for betraying their trust.

While the pandemonium was going on, a distress call was made to Odogbolu division, consequent upon which the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, SP Awoniyi Adekunle quickly led his men to the scene where the six suspects were apprehended.

Recovered from them are one locally made pistol and two live cartridges.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Edward A. Ajogun has directed that the suspects and exhibits be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation with the view to charge them to court on conclusion of the investigation.

The post Lagos based cult members arrested while buying gun in Ogun appeared first on Frontpageng.

The police command in the state said it had rolled out all in its arsenal to deal decisively with anybody who might try to breach the relative peace enjoying by the good people of the state.

The command said the warning followed intelligence reports at its disposal about the planned activities of the cult on Tuesdya, July 7, 2020.

The police revealed that the cult planned to cause violence across the state and initiate new members.

The statement warning members of the public against the planned activities of the cult as issued by the spokesman of the police command, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, reads:

“Intelligence report at the disposal of Ogun State Police Command revealed that members of notorious cult group are planning to unleash terror and violence on Tuesday 7th of July 2020 across the state in order to mark what they called 7/7 .

“The report further revealed that members of the group are also planning to use the said date to initiate new members into their fold after which they will engage their rival cult group in a supremacy battle which may lead to loss of life and wanton destruction of property.

“In view of this, the command wishes to warn those having such devilish plan to have a rethink and retrace their steps as such move will be met with serious resistance from security agencies.

“To this end, all the command’s tactical squads namely SARS, anti cultists, anti kidnapping as well as all the DPOs and Area Commanders have been put on red alert to nip in the bud any act capable of undermining the security of the state. Anybody who involved him/herself in such act will be made to feel the full weight of the law because the command will not fold its hands while some unscrupulous elements will be making life difficult for law abiding citizens of the state.

“The command is also using this medium to appeal to parents and guardians to warn their wards to stay clear of any unlawful gathering on, before and after the said date to prevent had I known situation.

“Also, hoteliers are with this release warned not to allow their facilities be used for any cult related gathering as the owner of such facility too will be liable for prosecution.

“While assuring members of the public to go about their lawful business without fear of harrasment or intimation, the command has rolled out all in its arsenal to deal decisively with anybody who try to breach the relative peace enjoyed by the good people of the state.”

The post Ogun: Police warn of plan by cult members to cause violence Tuesday appeared first on Frontpageng.

The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson, stated this on Sunday at the Ifo Divisional Police Station where he paraded the suspects.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the high point of the crisis occurred on April 4, as many residents fled for their lives and others lost possessions in the mayhem.

Ebrimson, however, refuted claims  that armed robbers hijacked the crisis, adding that “there was no report or complaint of robbery made to the command by anyone from the troubled areas.”

The CP described the incident as “a case of cult clashes among seven rival groups within the areas as a result of recent death of one of the members.”

He explained that the command swung into action immediately it received the information and had since effected arrest of 150 in connection with the incident.

“We deployed our men from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Anti-Cultism Unit, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Special Forces and conventional policemen drawn from the Ifo and Ota area commands.

“Our men smoked the suspected criminals out of their hideouts and recovered various weapons.

“We recovered eight locally made guns, 52 live cartridges, eight knives, 12 handsets, two scissors, large quantity of weeds and several cutlasses,” he said.

“It all started on April 4 as a reprisal attack on other rival cult groups from a cult group which had earlier lost a member.

“I want to say that there was no single case of armed robbery or any case of kidnapping that has been reported to us.

“The basic issue is cultism that emanated from the killing of one of them in Ifo and spread to Sango, Ijoko and Agbado areas,” he said.

The post Ogun police arrest 150 suspected cult members over Ifo/Ota crisis appeared first on Frontpageng.

The cult members were arrested as a result of a clash between two groups –Eiye and Aiye- on October 18.

The police were informed of a clash resulting from a battle of supremacy between the two groups when the arrests were made.

The cult members were said to have freely used dangerous weapons including axe, cutlass.

The police team, led by the Divisional Police Officer, Alapere, arrested two key leaders of the gangs  – 22 years old Olawale Toheeb and 25 years old Joseph Obinna.

According to DSP Bala Elkana, spokesman of the Lagos Police Command, investigation was extended to the gangs hideout at Mack Brown Hotel, Church Street Alapere, where four additional suspects – 21 years old  Obasi Ekene; 18 years old Promise Onoja; 24 years old OgoekeWeri Omokosi, and 23 years old Saviour Edet – were arrested.

The suspects were said to have confessed to belonging to Eiye and Aiye confraternity respectively and were responsible for series of violent attacks recorded in Alapere and environ.

A large quantity of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, short axes and cutlasses were recovered from their hideout.

Investigation was said to have been concluded and the suspects, the police said, would be charged to court.

The post Cult members responsible for violent clashes in Alepere arrested -Police appeared first on Frontpageng.

The Director, Radio and Public Relations, UNIMAID, Prof. Danjuma Gambo, gave the assurance in a statement issued on Thursday in Maiduguri.

Gambo also dismissed as “unfounded, rumour and uninformed” social media reports indicating that 18 suspected cultists arrested by the police, who claimed to be students of the university were informants on the payroll of Boko Haram insurgents.

He said that the management of the university had been cooperating with the security agencies and decided not to comment on the incident since the clampdown on the suspected cult group on November 22.

The director lamented that while the management awaited the outcome of the ongoing investigations by the police, stakeholders and parents had been expressing worry over the misleading reports indicating that the suspects were insurgents’ collaborators and informants in the university.

“Such gargantuan claims coming shortly after the recent attack on the university campus by persons suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents, are capable of misleading members of the general public, particularly parents, guardians and government institutions into unfounded conclusions about the roles of staff and students in the unfolding insurgency.

“It needs to be clarified that since the outbreak of the insurgency in 2009; the university management has never found any credible evidence implicating any of its staff or students as a collaborator or informant in the conflict, as it is being alleged online,” Gambo said.

Gambo noted that the Borno State Police Command had officially confirmed to the university that they were investigating cult related offences against the suspects, who claimed to be students of the university.

He stressed that the management maintained its position not to interfere with the ongoing investigations in view of the gravity of the allegations.

He reiterated the readiness of the university to adopt necessary steps to ensure strict enforcement of anti-cultism rules and regulations as well as guarantee safety and security of the students.

Gambo further called on people to disregard such misleading information and await the police to release its final report.

Source:  NAN

The post UNIMAID restates commitment to safety of students, personnel appeared first on Frontpageng.

A resident of Kajola Street, Bariga, Lagos State, the 39 years old was arrested on Saturday by the operatives of Operation Crush from Eight Divisions in Area H Command, Ogudu, Lagos State.

The operatives raided the hideouts of the members of the cult groups following intelligence report.

The spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, DSP Bala Elkana, said all the arrested suspects confessed to being members of a deadly gang and cult group responsible for various killings and violent crimes in Bariga.

“Investigation is ongoing, suspects will be charged to Court.

“This is a follow up operation carried out by Bariga Police Station on 31 /7/2019  at Oyenaya Street Bariga where one Kareem Sadiq ‘m’ 20 years old and five other members of his gang were arrested.

“The suspects were charged to court.

“On 24th July, 2019 at about 8.30 a.m. two cultists were arrested by men of Operation Crush at Itabale Igbolomu area of Owutu, Ikorodu while engaging each other in a battle for supremacy.

“One locally made pistol was recovered from them. The suspects were charged to court.”

In a related development, anti-cultism squad of the Lagos police arrested one 32 years old Suleiman Afeez at Mosafejo Amukoko Street, Ajegunle, Lagos.

He was caught with a locally made single barrel pistol with one live round of cartridge.

The suspect confessed to being a member of Aiye Confraternity.

His gang is said to be responsible for series of violent crimes in Ajengunle.

Investigation is said to be ongoing and efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of his gang.

The post Police arrest 32 notorious cult members in Lagos appeared first on Frontpageng.

The clash bordered on claims of supremacy over one another.

During the clash, the youths attacked passersby and damaged some vehicles within the area.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos Police Command, DSP Bala Elkana, a combined team of policemen mobilised to the scene successfully brought the situation under control and restored normalcy.

He said 38 suspected cult members were arrested and taken to Taskforce, Oshodi, for prosecution.

The police spokesman also disclosed that security had been beefed-up in area to forestall further threat to law and order.

He added that in a related development on Saturday, operatives at the Bariga Police Station in the state arrested one 32 years old Alayakin Azeez Olawale at Egberongbe Street.

The suspect was said to have been identified as the leader of a group of Aiye confraternity that had earlier in the day attempted to cause a breach of peace within Bariga town.

Elkana said investigation was ongoing and that suspect would later be charged to court.

The post Breach of peace: 39 suspected cult members arrested in Lagos -Police appeared first on Frontpageng.