Police arrest four suspected cultists, recover firearms in Lagos raid
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested four suspected cultists and recovered firearms, ammunition and a jack knife during a raid in the Egbeda area of the state.
The suspects, identified as Nurudeen Ganiu, 34; Oluwaleke Fagbula, 38; Emmanuel Silas, 41; and Nurudeen Abdullahi, 41, were apprehended following intelligence reports about an alleged cult initiation ceremony taking place at midnight in the community.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, operatives launched a covert operation based on credible intelligence, leading to the successful arrest of the suspects.
Items recovered during the operation included a locally made cut-to-size pistol, an English Beretta pistol loaded with 10 live rounds of ammunition and a jack knife believed to have been used in criminal activities.
Police investigations revealed that one of the suspects is an alleged cult gang leader and a former student of a university in Ogun State who was reportedly expelled in 2022 over cult-related activities.
The command further disclosed that the suspects are believed to be members of the Eiye Confraternity and have allegedly been involved in cult-related violence, thuggery and other criminal activities that have unsettled residents of Egbeda and neighbouring communities.
According to investigators, the group allegedly used motorcycles to carry out attacks on unsuspecting members of the public and disrupt social gatherings at gunpoint. The suspects reportedly confessed to their membership of the cult group during interrogation.
Commending the operatives for the successful operation, the Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Fatai, psc, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to tackling cultism and violent crime across Lagos State. He also urged residents to remain vigilant and continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information to aid crime-fighting efforts.
