In a major crackdown by the police on cultists terrorizing various communities in the Ogun state, about 62 suspected cultists have been arrested by various police units between January 14 and 28, 2024.
52 of those arrested claimed they were members of Alora, one is a member of Aiye Confraternity, five were members of Eiye confraternity, and four others, whose group could not be identified.
The State Police Commissioner, Abiodun Alamutu, announced this while parading suspected criminals arrested across the state, at the state police command, Eleweran, Abeokuta.
The major catch for the police were the 52 members of Alora confraternity including some females, arrested on January 27, at Ifo, near Abeokuta by operatives of the special weapons and tactical team (SWAT).
The 52 were arrested while initiating new members at a hotel at Iyana Abiodun in the town. some of them managed to jump the fence of the hotel and escaped.
The Police Chief listed items recovered from the suspects as needles, tee shirts with Alora inscription, three vehicles and 58 cell phones.
Later on January 28, police swooped on four cultists at a secluded forest at Kamalo in Ogijo,
they fell into a gully while attempting to escape arrests, leaving one of them dead in the pit, while three others were injured.
Earlier on January 14 at Adatan, Abeokuta, two cultists were arrested at a gathering of Eiye Confraternity hosted by the group Capone, who had been on the police watchlist since last year.
Also on January 16, one cultist who is a member of Eiye confraternity was arrested at oke-yeke, near isabo in abeokuta with a locally made pistol. Three days later, another member of Eiye confraternity who was arrested at ilupeju, near ota , named seven other members of his group to the police
on January 27, SWAT operatives in an early morning raid arrested a cultist regarded as the hit-man of Eiye confraternity in the ijebu axis.
The cultist, nicknamed ‘butcher, claimed to be a student of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, near Ijebu Ode.
Arms and ammunition recovered by the police from his residence, included one serviceable browning pistol loaded with four rounds of live ammunition and its magazine, and one pump action rifle with (10) rounds live cartridges
Others are one English short double barrel riffle, two locally made short single barrel riffles, one locally made revolver pistol loaded with (02) rounds of live ammunition, and assorted criminal charms.