Police foil planned cult attack, arrest 11 LAUTECH students in Oyo, recover pistols

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Oyo State Police Command has arrested 11 suspected members of the Eiye Confraternity, all believed to be students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, thwarting what authorities described as a planned cult attack within the student community.

The operation also led to the recovery of firearms, ammunition and other dangerous weapons allegedly intended for use in the planned violence.

The Command disclosed in a statement on Friday that the breakthrough followed credible intelligence indicating that members of the dreaded cult group had converged at hideouts in the Under-G, Yuako and Adenike areas of Ogbomoso to coordinate attacks capable of causing widespread unrest among students.

Acting on the intelligence, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) stormed the identified locations, disrupting the alleged plot before it could be carried out.

The police said the swift operation resulted in the arrest of 11 male suspects, who were subsequently taken into custody.

According to the Command, the suspects allegedly confessed during preliminary interrogation to being members of the Eiye Confraternity, while investigations also linked them to several cult-related crimes, including murder.

Police further revealed that all the suspects are students of LAUTECH.

The suspects were identified as Adedapo Victor, 24, alleged leader of the group; Taiwo Rasheed, 22, alleged second-in-command; Emeka Issac, 20; Akande Segundo, 26; Akande Julius, 26; Stephen Opeyemi, 24; Fortune Abel, 22; Oluwatunmise Ayodeji, 22; Adigun Oladimeji, 32; Akande Moses, 28; and Karim Kalid, 20.

A search of the suspects and their hideout reportedly yielded four locally fabricated cut-to-size pistols, 11 live cartridges, one expended cartridge, two cult axes, one cutlass, one dagger knife and a red cult hooded cap.

Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, commended the professionalism and prompt response of the VCRU operatives, saying their intervention prevented what could have escalated into violent attacks within the university community.

He assured residents that the Command would sustain its offensive against cultism and violent crime, adding that efforts were ongoing to arrest other fleeing members of the criminal network.

Olugbenga said all the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.

The police commissioner also appealed to residents to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information, stressing that public cooperation remains critical to tackling cultism and other violent crimes across the state.

He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to eliminating criminal activities and ensuring the safety of lives and property throughout Oyo State.