Wanted Eiye cult gang kingpin arrested for murder in Ondo

By Ayox Ojo

A suspected notorious leader of the Eiye cult gang confraternity, Tomiwa Akinwale, popularly known as Bella have been arrested in Owo, Ondo State, for alleged cult-related activities and murder.

Tomiwa, police said, had been on the police watchlist for allegedly hacking a man to death during a rival cult clash in Owo, Owo Local Government Area of the state before his arrest.

He was also under surveillance in connection with other murder cases and violent activities, Abayomi Jimoh, the spokesperson of Ondo Police Command said in a statement.

Jimoh said the suspect is alleged to be the leader of the notorious Eiye Confraternity operating within Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo (RUGIPO), and its environs.

According to him, the arrest of the suspect followed actionable intelligence received by the Anti-Cultism Squad I, indicating that the suspect had been sighted around NEPA Junction in Akure.

He said acting swiftly on the information, operatives mobilized to the location and successfully apprehended the suspect without incident.

Jimoh said preliminary investigations have linked the suspect to the killing of one Ojo Peter, which occurred on 12 December 2025 in Owo. The incident had raised concerns within the community and was suspected to be connected to cult-related rivalry.

He added that further intelligence revealed that the suspect was recently featured on a cult-related social media platform, Naija Confra, for allegedly participating in an attack on suspected members of the Aiye Confraternity along Fasawe Street in Owo.

The police spokesperson said the attack was reported to be part of an ongoing supremacy battle between rival cult groups in the area.