Osun: 6 suspected cult members in police net

By Olajide Idowu

Six suspected cult members allegedly terrorising Osogbo, the capital of Osun State and its environs have been arrested by the police.

Spokesperson for Osun Police Command, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi in a statement on Friday in Osogbo said the arrest of the cultists was part of efforts by the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan to contain cult activities and other vices in the state

Ojelabi said that on Aug.21, about 6:30 p.m., during the student union week in one of the higher institutions in the state, police arrested two suspected cult members, following intelligence report.

“The anti-cultism unit of the command arrested two suspected notorious cultists, with the nicknames ‘ORIFE’ and ‘AGA’, both 29-years-old.

“They confessed to be member of Aiye and Buccaneer confraternities (Alora) respectively,” he said.

He said in the same vein, on Aug.19, acting on credible information, the command also arrested some hoodlums suspected to be members of a secret cult terrorizing the residents of Okuku Town and its environs.

“Police detectives from Anti-cultism unit of the command moved swiftly to the town where four suspects were apprehended.

“The suspects confessed to be member of Aiye confraternity,” he said

He said, in another development, the police stormed the hideouts of armed hoodlums suspected to be members of Eiye confraternity, led by one ‘Gafari’, terrorising residents of Gbeja and Oke-Baale Osogbo.

He said the suspects fled upon sighting the security operatives.

He, however, said one cut-to- size single barrel gun; a cut-to-size double barrel gun, five sharp cutlasses, one axe and three lives cartridges were recovered from their hideouts .

Ojelabi said efforts were on to arrest the fleeing hoodlums, adding that all the arrested suspects would be charged to court upon completion of investigation.

He quoted CP Gotan urging the students to focus on their education because the law would not spare anyone caught involved in cultism.

(NAN)