A cult member identified as Bolaji Ogunkemaya has been arrested in a room with the corpses of four people in Sagamu town where clashes between cult gangs have claimed over 20 lives in the past few days, the Ogun State Police Command said in a statement on Monday.
Ogunkemaya was one of the seven suspects arrested in Sagamu over the deadly clashes which, according to police, broke out over a disagreement on the sharing of commission paid on a land transaction between the Aiye and Eiye gang members.
The four deceased persons were also killed in the same room where their corpses were found with Ogunkemaya, Ogun Police Command spokesperson, SP Omolola Odutola said in a statement announcing the arrest of the cult members.
The Police spokesperson added that Ogunkemaya told the police after he was apprehended that the leader of the cult gang, known as Azubuike aka BETTER, had been arrested by the Sagamu Area Commander a fortnight ago.
He listed the other suspects arrested as Asaiye Omolaja, Azeez Nofiu, and Mathew Adewale.
According to the statement, one Wasiu who was also a member of cult gangs escaped arrest by the security operatives.
Odutola said the arrest of the suspects followed a raid conducted by its command in Sagamu led by ACP Shehu Alao in collaboration with the VGN (Vigilante Group of Nigeria) following the lashes that resulted in the death of four individuals at Ewu Iya and Sakura area of the town on Sunday.
“This operation was carried out in response to a report of a clash between two rival cult groups, namely Aiye and Eiye confraternity resulting in the death of over twenty individuals as at the time of this report.
“Upon receiving the information, the Area Commander swiftly mobilized more personnel to the scene in order to prevent the clash from escalating and to apprehend the cultists involved.
“As a result, seven suspected cultists were arrested, and further investigations led to the recovery of a firearm, three live cartridges, and a criminal charm.
“The suspects apprehended were Asaiye Omolaja, Azeez Nofiu, Mathew Adewale, and Bolaji Ogunkemaya. It is worth noting that Bolaji Ogunkemaya was found with the four deceased persons in the same room where the killings occurred while One individual, Wasiu, managed to escape before the authorities arrived.
“During the raid, Bolaji Ogunkemaya provided critical information, stating that their leader, known as Azubuike aka BETTER, had been arrested by the Area Commander a fortnight ago.
“This information underscores the commitment of the police to dismantle these criminal networks,” said Odutola in the statement.
He added that to address the alarming rise in cult-related violence, the Commissioner of Police, CP Alamutu Abiodun Mustapha, personally visited Sagamu on Monday morning to assess the situation firsthand and profile all the suspects apprehended.
“The CP however sternly warns all cultists in Ogun State that their activities will no longer be tolerated. He therefore declared a zero-tolerance policy towards senseless killings and vows that none of these cultists would go unpunished.
“With the restoration of normalcy in Sagamu and the diligent efforts of law enforcement agencies, it is evident that the authorities are committed to maintaining peace and security in Ogun State,” the Ogun Police spokesperson concluded.
credit: PM News
