Police arrest 150 suspects over robberies, cultism in Ogun State

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested 150 suspects in connection with the alleged armed robberies and cultism which occurred in some communities of Ifo and Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Areas of the state.

Penpushing reports that, the affected communities include: Owode, Ilepa, Ifo, Arigbajo,Itori, Dalemo, Ijoko Joju,Sango, Ota, Agbado- Ijaiye among  others, while exhibits recovered from the alleged suspects include; 8 locally made guns ; 52 live catridges ; 8 knives ; 12 handsets ; 2 scissors ; large quantity of Indian hemp ; several cutlasses, one axe and saw

The Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrinson who paraded the suspects on Sunday at  Ifo Divisional Police Headquarters said contrary to speculations of armed robberies in the affected communities  said investigation conducted showed that, the hoodlums were cultists engaging in supremacy battle

Penpushing further reports that, Ebrimson who earlier conducted journalists round the communities said the bloody clashes involved seven rival cult groups following the killing of one of them, adding that upon the information received, the police  swung into action and made some  arrests  .

The Commissioner said he deployed men from Special Anti-Robbery Squad ;  Anti-Cultism unit, Anti-Kidnapping unit ; Special forces and conventional policemen to handle and control the situation adding that his men succeeded in smoking the suspected criminals out of their hideouts and recovered  various weapons .

Penpushing also reports that, the police boss disclosed that  the cult groups in the criminal activities as revealed by investigations  include:: Ilena ; Federal boys ; Lemon boys ; base boys ; Sahara boys ; Gbese boys and Marindoti boys .

“The genesis of this was from some criminal gangs that engaged in supremacy battle in Ifo and spread to Ado-Odo/Ota local government area of the state . It started on April 4, and the command tactical operation arrested some hoodlums and ammunitions”, ‘he said.

“I want to say that there was no single case of armed robbery ,no case of kidnapping has been reported .Nobody has been killed .The basic issue is cultism that emanated from the killing of one of them in Ifo and spread to Sango, Ijoko and  Agbado”, Ebrinson added