Supremacy battle between two rival cult groups, Eiye and Aiye Confraternities, on Sunday, January 17, 2021, resulted in the death of one of the members, while eight others were apprehended by policemen from Ogun State Command.
Thenewsbearer learnt that the two cult groups had engaged in the battle in Ifo area of the state, during which a cult member, simply identified as Ofada, was shot dead by a member of his rival gang.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said in a statement on Monday, January 18, that Ifo residents had made a call to Ifo police station, which made the the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Adekunle Adeniyi to lead his men to the scene.
On getting there, he said that the DPO and other officers met two others with gunshot injuries, apart from the one that had been killed.
He added that the DPO and his men traced the rampaging cultists to Iyana Coker area, where three of the cult members were nabbed.
He gave the names of the three suspects as Soji Olamilekan (29), Shobande Olalekan (26) and Solomon Fadebi (33).
“On interrogation, they informed the police that other members ran to Osuke area of Onipanu, Ota, where they were planning to launch another round of attack.
“Based on the information, the DPO in charge of Onipanu division was contacted, and he quickly moved to Osuke area, where he met a group of cultists holding a meeting in a bush.
“On sighting the policemen, the hoodlums took to their heels but were hotly chased. With the assistance of the youths in the area, four among the cultists were apprehended,” the PPRO stated.
He gave the names of the four suspects as Balogun Oluwaseun (22), Joseph Onwe (24), Peter Rapheal (22) and Yusuf Emmanuel (26).
Oyeyemi said further that while the arrested cultists were still being interrogated, information got to the police that one of the cultists was seen receiving treatment for gunshot injury at Arobiye Village, Ota.
He added that the DPO Onipanu swiftly moved to the place and got the suspect, one 22-year-old Toheeb Olorunkemi.
Olorunkemi reportedly confessed to participating in Ifo clash, where he sustained gunshot injury.
Recovered from the arrested suspects were a locally-made pistol, six live cartridges, four different types of handsets, one black beret and a small bag.
The PPRO disclosed that the corpse of the fatally-shot cultist had been taken to the General Hospital mortuary in Ifo, while the injured ones had been taken to the same hospital for medical care.
Oyeyemi said that the state Commissioner of police, Edward A. Ajogun had ordered the transfer of the suspects to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation.
Ajogun also ordered a manhunt for other members of the groups at large, in order to put their notorious activities to a permanent end.
