Operatives of the Oyo State Police Command have arrested a 38-year-old man, Saheed Eegunjobi, in connection with a violent attack on a commercial motorcyclist in Ibadan.

The command said the arrest followed collaboration between the police and community-based partners, particularly Agbekoya Vigilante personnel, who apprehended the suspect and handed him over to a patrol team attached to the Idi-Aro Division.

The suspect, along with an accomplice currently at large, allegedly posed as passengers and boarded a commercial motorcycle from the Mokola area of Ibadan before attacking the rider.

Police said that upon reaching the Modina area of Idi-Aro, the suspects stopped the motorcycle and attacked the rider, Sakiru Tiamiyu, 32, inflicting head injuries with a cutlass. The victim fell off the motorcycle while the accomplice fled with the vehicle.

Passersby reportedly apprehended the suspect at the scene, and he later confessed during interrogation. The victim was rushed to a medical facility for treatment, while efforts are ongoing to arrest the fleeing accomplice and recover the stolen motorcycle.

Meanwhile, the command said it also disrupted a suspected cult gathering in Oyo town, leading to the arrest of three suspected cult members.

Acting on intelligence, operatives of the Atiba Division mobilised to Bode Thomas Secondary School, Oyo, where about 30 individuals dressed in black were allegedly converging for a secret cult meeting. On sighting the police, the group reportedly fled into nearby bushes.

The police said three suspects — Jelili Taiwo Kazeem, 20; Toheeb Adediran, 25; and Ayomide Taiwo, 23 — were arrested during the operation. Preliminary investigations indicated that Adediran, an okada rider, conveyed some suspected cult members to the location, and his motorcycle was impounded for investigative purposes.

According to the command, the suspects confessed to being members of the Aiye Confraternity and stated that the gathering was organised to celebrate the birthday of one of their members. A search of the area led to the recovery of one motorcycle, an axe and a black cap believed to be connected to the group’s activities.

The command urged parents and guardians to engage their children constructively and discourage involvement in cultism, criminal gangs and unlawful associations.