Policemen from Oyo State command have arrested nine suspected members of a cult group, Eye Confraternity, as they were about performing a handing and taking over ceremony by old and new executive members.
This was made known on Wednesday, August 28, 2021, by the state Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko, during a press briefing at the police headquarters at Eleyele, Ibadan.
She said that the suspects were arrested after the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Atiba Division was informed of the move by some cultists to handover to new executive members and carry out the initiation of some new members.
She listed the names of the suspects as Ayinde Kehinde (23), Bolaji Owodunni (27), Adedeji Abdullahi (23), Folaranmi Babatunde (26), Omiwinde Oyekunle (19), Olayemi Quadri (23), Olafemi Oyewole (33), Olamide Joshua (21) and Toheeb Bello (25).
The cultists, who were said have been more than 60, had left the hotel they lodged in moved to a forest at Oroki area of the town to do the handover ceremony when the place was stormed by the police and Amotekun Corps on August 14 at almost 12 midnight, while others were nabbed at another location in the early hours of August 15 after a raid.
Onadeko stated that “we swung into action and nine of them were arrested. They have been interrogated and confessed that they are all members of Eye Confraternity. Some of them were going for initiation while some of them were going to hand over to the new executive.”
Recovered from the suspects were two locally-made guns, machete and two axes, among other weapons.
The state police boss also said that those arrested were allegedly engaging in robbery and were being investigated, adding that “the police will continue doing our duties to make sure that Oyo State is safe and secure.”
Onadeko enjoined parents and guardians to talk to their children and wards, so that they would be conscious of the unlawful act that cultism is.
“Just like those ones arrested now, their parents thought they were in school, but you can see what they have ended up doing,” she said.
In an interview, one of the suspects,
Kehinde, who claimed to be an OND graduate from The Pilytechnic, Ibadan, confessed to being an Eye cult member.
The suspect opened up that he was initiated into cultism in 2018, and was given ‘Sparrow’ as his cult’s bird name.
On how he got the locally-made gun found with him, Kehinde said that it was given to him to hold by a friend he went to meet in Oyo town for his handing and taking over ceremony.
He said that he was arrested when Amotekun Corps that worked with the police stormed the place he was staying with other friends, while his friend who owned the gun escaped.
Regretting his cult membership, the suspect said that he had realized that it was a bad association and he had nothing to gain from it.
Another suspect, Joshua, who disclosed that he was member of Pyrates Confraternity and not Eye cultist, explained that he was forcefully made to join the cult group in July.
He also admitted owning the axe found with him as a Disc Jockey (DJ).
