Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command on Sunday clamped down heavily on members of Eiye and Aiye cult groups who embarked on supremacy battle in Ifo area of the State, consequent upon which one of them, simply identified as Ofada, was shot dead by rival cultists.
The spokesman of the Ogun State Police Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, revealed this in a statement on Tuesday.
Oyeyemi said a call was placed to the Ifo Divisional Police Headquarters, with the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Adekunle Adeniyi, quickly leading his men to the scene, where they met two men with gunshot injuries.
The DPO and his men subsequently moved and traced the rampaging cultist to Iyana Coker area, where three amongst them: Soji Olamilekan ‘m’ 29; Shobande Olalekan ‘m’ 26; and Solomon Fadebi ‘m’ 33, were arrested.
On interrogation, they informed the police that their other members have taken off to Osuke area of Onipanu Ota, where they were planning to launch another round of attack.
Based on the information, the DPO of Onipanu Division was contacted and he quickly moved to Osuke area, where he met a group of cultists holding a meeting in a bush.
On sighting the policemen, the hoodlums took to their heels, but they were hotly chased and with the assistance of the youths in the area, four amongst the cultists: Balogun Oluwaseun ‘m’ 22; Joseph Onwe ‘m’ 24; Peter Rapheal ‘m’ 22; and Yusuf Emmanuel ‘m’ 26, were apprehended.
While investigation was going on, information got to the police that one of the cultists was seen receiving treatment for gunshot injury in Arobiye village, Ota, the DPO Onipanu swiftly moved in there and got the male suspect, 22-year-old Toheeb Olorunkemi, who confessed participating in the Ifo crisis, where he received gunshot injury, arrested.
Recovered from the arrested suspects were one locally made pistol, six live cartridges, four different types of handset, one black beret and a small bag.
The corpse of the slain cultist has been recovered to the general hospital mortuary, while the injured ones have been taken to the same general hospital for medical care.
The Command’s Commissioner, Edward A. Ajogun, has ordered the transfer of the suspects to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation.
Ajogun also directed a serious manhunt for the remaining members of the groups in order to put their notorious activities to permanent end.