Oyo State Police Arrest 11 Suspected Cultists, Recover Firearms in Ogbomoso

…As planned attack within LAUTECH student community foiled

The Oyo State Police Command has arrested eleven suspected members of the Eiye Confraternity and recovered firearms, ammunition, and other dangerous weapons during an operation that foiled a planned attack in Ogbomoso.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, the operation followed credible intelligence indicating that suspected cult members had gathered at hideouts in the Under-G, Yuako, and Adenike areas to coordinate attacks within the student community.

Operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit were immediately deployed to the locations, where they disrupted the planned attacks and arrested the eleven suspects.

Police say preliminary investigations revealed that all the suspects are students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, and have allegedly confessed to being members of the Eiye Confraternity.

Investigators also linked them to several cult-related crimes, including alleged involvement in murder.

Items recovered from the suspects and their hideout include four locally fabricated pistols, eleven live cartridges, one expended cartridge, two cult axes, a cutlass, a dagger knife, and a red cult hooded cap believed to have been intended for use in violent activities.

The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, CP Abimbola Olugbenga, commended the operatives for their swift response, describing the operation as a major step in preventing violence within the student community.

He assured residents that efforts are ongoing to arrest other fleeing members of the group, adding that the suspects will be charged to court after the conclusion of investigations.

The Command also appealed to members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to support the fight against cultism and other violent crimes.