The Ogun State Police Command has arrested seven suspected members of the Aiye Confraternity, also known as the Black Axe, during a targeted operation in the Ijebu-Ode area.
According to The PUNCH, the state police spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, confirmed that the operation was conducted by the Special Weapons and Tactics team on Thursday after receiving credible intelligence.
The arrested suspects, identified as Balogun Ibrahim, Towolawi Omotayo, Oshodi Oluwaseun, Nkechi John, Mustapha Aliu, Opeyemi Rasheed, and Mustapha Sikiru, are believed to be involved in a series of criminal activities, including robbery, housebreaking, and illegal drug dealings.
Odutola stated, “The SWAT team acted on intelligence that the suspects, who had been on the police watchlist for an extended period, were spotted in the Ogbo area along Ijebu-Ode Road. Officers were immediately deployed to the location, resulting in their arrest.”
During the operation, security personnel recovered several incriminating items, including a locally made cut-to-size single-barrel gun, seven live cartridges, and a handheld axe.
Odutola added, “The arrested suspects are currently being interrogated, and investigations are underway to identify and apprehend other cultists and accomplices operating within the area.”
This development comes amid growing concerns about cult-related violence in Ogun State. In November, gunmen suspected to be cultists fatally shot a former councillor of Abeokuta North Local Government Area, Mutiu Akinbami, near the Brewery area in Abeokuta.
Akinbami, popularly known as Egor, was reportedly shot in the head while riding a motorcycle with his son.
In a similar incident in August, suspected cultists killed Fatai Kehinde, a Point-of-Sale operator and the son of the Baale of Kuto Community, Abeokuta.
Reports indicate that the attackers chased Kehinde from his shop in Kuto Market to an area beneath the Kuto Bridge, where he was killed.
The Ogun State Police Command has assured residents of ongoing efforts to curb cult-related violence and ensure the safety of communities across the state. “We remain committed to rooting out all criminal elements causing unrest,” Odutola concluded.
