Police nab teenage cultists in Ogun, armed robbery suspects in Lagos

Etim Ekpimah

Police operatives attached to Alakuko Division of the Lagos State Police Command, on Friday, April 16, 2021 arrested four suspected cultists that came from Ogun State for reprisal attacks on other rival cult members at the Junior Secondary Schools, Akinyele, Alakuko, Lagos State.

The suspects are Tosin Balogun, ‘m’, 18; Sunday Dare, ‘m’, 15; Olayinka Jubril, ‘m’, 14, and Sani Ayomide Babatunde, ‘m’, 15.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said on Saturday that Balogun and Olayinka are students of Odewale Community High School, Ijoko Ogun State, while Babatunde is a student of Tunik International School, Dalemo Alakuko, and Sunday, a tailoring apprentice at Dalemo Alakuko.

He said the police operatives got winds of the planned reprisal attacks on their rivals in the school and raced to the scene immediately; the suspects arrived at the school to cause pandemonium and attack their targets.

The PPRO added that items like cutlasses, weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, and assorted charms were recovered from the hoodlums.

According to him, in another development, the operatives of ‘D9’ (Anti Robbery) Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba on Saturday, April 17, 2021, acting on information, arrested a gang of armed robbers/suspected cultists.

He said: “The suspects are Victor Alfred, ‘m’; Chubike Ikeh Donatus, ‘m,’ and Isiaka Olamide, ‘m’, all 19 years of age, at Marble Guest House, No 33 Ajibike Street, Ogudu Ojota, around 3.25m.

“One Beretta pistol, weeds suspected to be Indian hemp and assorted charms were recovered from them.

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered that the suspected cultists be moved to the Command’s Special Squad, Ikeja, for proper investigation and possible arrest of other members of their gang, while the suspected armed robbers be properly investigated and profiled by the Anti Robbery Section of the State CID.”

He stated that Odumosu reiterated his commitment to eradicating cult-related crises and other forms of criminality in Lagos State; and making the state hot for the survival and operations of any cult or armed robbery group in the state.