Some dreaded cultists on the police wanted list have been arrested in the Ijebu-Ode area of Ogun State.
The five suspects were reportedly arrested on February 22 in their hideout along Molipa, while planning another violent attack.
The Ogun State police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, identified the suspects as Segun Olabiyi (aka Koleje), Musa Atanda (aka Musa sars), Olorunjuedalo Adewale, Olamide Odewole and Peter Anuoluwapo Akinyemi.
According to Oyeyemi, the suspects were arrested following information received by the police at Obalende division in Ijebu Ode, that the hoodlums, said to be members of Aiye confraternity, had gathered in groups at the back of De Prime Hotel in preparation for a deadly attack.
As a result, the DPO of the Obalende division, SP Salami Murphy, mobilized his men and headed to the scene.
“On sighting the policemen, the hoodlums engaged them in a gun battle but they were subdued by the superior firepower of the policemen,” Oyeyemi said, adding that this led to the arrest of the five suspects as others escaped with bullets injuries.
A local gun, two live cartridges and assorted criminal charms were recovered at the scene of the gun duel.
Preliminary investigation, according to Oyeyemi, revealed that the suspects had been actively involved in various cult clashes that had claimed many lives, including that of a serving policeman, Sgt Akeem Oseni, attached to Igbeba division.
“Their trademark according to their confession is to cut off the right hand of their victims after killing them. They also confessed to have been involved in some robbery operation in Ijebu-Ode and its environs and that one of their prominent leaders simply known as PERTH was killed in one of the robbery operations,” Oyeyemi said.
