NEWS
Police Foil Alleged Cult Attack, Arrest 11 LAUTECH Students in Ogbomoso
The Oyo State Police Command has arrested 11 students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, over their alleged involvement in cult-related activities, following an intelligence-driven operation that reportedly thwarted planned attacks within the university community.
The suspects, who are alleged members of the Eiye Confraternity, were apprehended by operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) during a coordinated raid on identified hideouts in the Under-G, Yuako and Adenike areas of Ogbomoso.
According to the police, the operation was launched after credible intelligence revealed that suspected cult members had assembled at the locations to allegedly perfect plans for coordinated attacks targeting members of the student community.
Acting swiftly on the intelligence, security operatives stormed the hideouts, disrupted the alleged plot and arrested 11 male suspects before the planned attacks could be executed.
The Police Command disclosed that the suspects allegedly admitted during interrogation to being members of the Eiye Confraternity. Preliminary investigations also linked them to several cult-related offences, including murder. Authorities further confirmed that all 11 suspects are students of LAUTECH.
The arrested suspects were identified as Adedapo Victor, 24, who is alleged to be the leader of the group; Taiwo Rasheed, 22, the 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 conducted on the suspects and their hideout reportedly led to the recovery of 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.
The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, commended the operatives for their professionalism and prompt response, noting that their intervention helped avert what could have escalated into violent clashes within the university environment.
He also assured residents that the Command had intensified efforts to track down and arrest other suspected members of the group who reportedly escaped during the operation.
The Oyo State Police Command said investigations are ongoing and that the suspects will be charged to court upon their conclusion. It also appealed to members of the public to continue providing credible information to assist security agencies in tackling cultism and other violent crimes across the state.