Police arrest 2 suspected cultists, recovers guns, knives in Oyo

The Police Command in Oyo State, says it has arrested two suspected cultists terrorising the students of Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, recovering guns and knives, among others.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ngozi Onadeko, briefing newsmen on Thursday in Ibadan, said the cultists were members of “a notorious armed robbery syndicate” that invaded LAUTECH students’ hostel at Under-G area of Ogbomoso.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two cultists were among the seven suspects paraded by the command on Thursday in Ibadan.

They were alleged to have committed offences, ranging from armed robbery, house breaking and obtaining money under false pretences.

Onadeko said that the suspected cultists had on March 20, at about 10.00 p.m, while armed with guns and Jack knives, attacked a student, and dispossessed him of his I-phone and siphoned N1 million cash from his account.

She said that the hoodlums also attacked other students of the institution and dispossessed them of their expensive cell phones, cash and other valuables.

“The long arm of law caught up with them in May, along Ogbomoso axis, in a deliberately planned operation by operatives of the command’s Monitoring Unit, in collaboration with the local vigilantes and hunters.

“Active investigations are ongoing to crackdown members of the criminal gang,” she said.

The police chief said that the command also arrested three suspected armed robbers that invaded residence of one Ben Ama at Oke-Seni area of Ibadan.

She said that the victim was disposed of his cell phone, a set of home theatre and an ATM card, which they used to withdraw a sum of N572,000 from his account.

Onadeko said that a sum of N44,000 was recovered from the suspects.

NAN reports that a 19-year-old alleged house burglar was also paraded.

He was alleged to be in possession of two stabilisers, a Plasma TV, a generator, and a pressing iron, among others.

Onadeko said that the business of security was a continuum, calling on the state citizens to give timely and adequate information to the police to help fight against crimes.

She, however, urged them to go about their lawful businesses.

According to her, a tactical intelligence and operational assets had been deployed across the length and breadth of the state in order to provide adequate security.