13th January, 2014
Stephen Oni/ Ilorin
The Nigerian police in the central Nigerian state of Kwara has arrested four armed robbery suspects and seven other persons alleged to be members of two rival cult groups that recently engaged themselves in gun battle in Baboko area of Ilorin resulting in the death of one Babatunde Sulyman.
The robbery suspects were identified as Adekunle Ishola, Dele Cletus, Simon Ogundeji and Dare Suleiman while those of the alleged cultists include Saheed Mohammed. Oladimeji Saheed and Bolaji Raheem. Others are Suleiman Adebayo, Saheed Kadiri, Bwamba Johnson and Bolakale Bayere.
Briefing journalists in Ilorin on Monday, the Commissioner of Police, Agboola Oshodi-Glover, said the robbery suspects were members of a six-man gang that had been terrorising residents of Ilorin. He said the gangsters invaded the house of one Lawal Adewale Dare in Kulende area of Ilorin on 13 December 2013, armed with guns and cutlases, attacked him and carted away property worth close to N2 million including a Toyota Corolla car with registration number FE 464 APP.
Two members of the gang are, however, still at large and the police,according to Oshodi-Glover, are on their trail.
Items recovered from them include three sharp cutlasses, a Toyota Corolla car, three motorcycles and two cut-to-size guns.
Items recovered from the alleged cultists include six cutlasses, a sword and a spear. Others are a gallon of petrol, matches, Jetta Volkswagen car (unregistered) and charms and amulets.
The CP said all the suspects would be arraigned in court as soon as police investigation into the cases were concluded and urged the public to report any suspicious movement or people of dubious characters to the police.