Kehinde Ayanboade,
The Oyo State police command has on Friday disclosed the arrest of the total of 57 suspected criminal who bothered around the offences of Armed Robbery, Defiling with other criminalities featuring 2 suspects caught with 2 human skulls and the total of 13 suspected cultists from three different confraternities in 3 different occasions.
Oyo state Commissioner of Police CP Shina Olukolu made this claim while parading the suspected criminals at the State Command headquarter, Eleyele, Ibadan.
It could also be recalled that the Oyo State Police Command through a recent press release signed by the Police Public Relation Officer of the state command, SP Olugbenga Fadeyi, raises alarm over intelligence reports on possible cult clash in the state between a secret cult group, popularly known as ‘Aiye Confraternity’, Bukania/Alora and ‘Eiye Confraternity’ on 7th of July and 8th August respectively every year across the southwest states of Nigeria.
CP Olukolu further noted that as part of the police efforts to reduce crime to the barest minimum in Oyo State, the police have begun an aggressive drive towards making this objective a reality through a proactive approach and sustainable community policing strategy in the last few weeks.
According to him, “Some members of the dreaded Aiye Confraternity who have been inflicting various acts of violence and nefarious activities on members of the public, and have been terrorizing members of the public within Ibadan metropolis, was arrested where they converged to initiate new members into the secret cult.
“Sequel to information, a team of Special Anti-Robbery Squad operatives together with the local vigilante group were quickly drafted to the area, the suspects were arrested, the suspect include: Durodola Olamide, Femi Aluko, (both were ex-student of College of Education, Oyo), Faroyeje Ayanfe, George Ifeanyi (both were ex-students of Ekiti State University), Abdulahi Musa, Isiaka Jubril, Onadolapo Kolawole, Ridwan Yekini, Moronfade Opeyemi, Ojebisi Johnson, Popoola Seun, Afeez Fatai, and Taiwo Adeyemi.”
The police boss noted that the suspects were arrested in Igbo – oloyin, Ojoo, Oyo town, and Bodija respectively, and exhibit recovered include three cutlass, one empty cartridge shell, one black Axe beret, five Aiye customized beret cap, one full Aiye customized regalia which were to be used for the initiation rites and some weeds suspected to be Indian hemp.
In the same development, Olukolu noted that officers have also succeeded in the arrest of two suspects, Abdullahi Basiru ‘m’ and Adekola Martins ‘m’ for unlawful possession of human skull.
The commissioner, Shina Olukolu said that “police patrol team attached to Ikoyi Ile/Ogbomosho road intercepted the suspects from Oja Fulani Area of Ede, Osun State with two human skull, upon the interrogation, the suspects were unable to give a satisfactory account of the two human skull in their possession.”
Olukolu however mentioned the firm commitment of the police to always perform their constitutional responsibilities of protection of lives and property of the masses, urging the members of the public to continue to support and cooperate with the police, with useful and vital information whenever they perceived criminality in their various communities.
While speaking to the newsmen, one of the suspects confessed to the crime, saying that they were sent to collect the exhibits from one Alhaji Semiu otherwise known as Alhaji Lede from from Ede part of Osun state by one Alh. Saheed Azeez in Igbeti Area of Oyo state before they were intercepted by the police at Ikoyi Ile and detained for proper investigation.
