What police described as a looming wave of violence within the student community was allegedly averted in Ogbomoso after operatives of the Oyo State Police Command arrested 11 students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology over an alleged cult plot.
The suspects were reportedly rounded up before they could carry out coordinated attacks said to have been planned across parts of the university environment.
Police authorities said the arrested students were allegedly members of the notorious Eiye Confraternity and were apprehended following credible intelligence gathered by security operatives.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Command’s spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, said operatives attached to the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) swung into action after intelligence reports indicated that suspected cult members had assembled at hideouts in the Under-G, Yuako and Adenike areas of Ogbomoso.
According to the police, the suspects were allegedly finalising plans to launch attacks capable of causing widespread unrest within the university community.
Olayinka said the operatives stormed the identified locations and successfully foiled the alleged attacks before they could be executed, leading to the arrest of the 11 male suspects.
He added that the suspects allegedly confessed during interrogation to being members of the Eiye Confraternity, while preliminary investigations linked them to several cult-related crimes, including murder.
The suspects were identified as 24-year-old Adedapo Victor, said to be the group’s leader; 22-year-old Taiwo Rasheed, alleged to be the second-in-command; 20-year-old Emeka Issac; 26-year-old Akande Segundo; 26-year-old Akande Julius; 24-year-old Stephen Opeyemi; 22-year-old Fortune Abel; 22-year-old Oluwatunmise Ayodeji; 32-year-old Adigun Oladimeji; 28-year-old Akande Moses; and 20-year-old Karim Kalid.
The police further stated that investigations confirmed that all 11 suspects are students of LAUTECH.
According to the Command, a search conducted on the suspects and their hideout led to the recovery of weapons and other items allegedly intended for use in violent operations.
Items reportedly recovered included four locally fabricated cut-to-size pistols, 11 live cartridges, one expended cartridge, two cult axes, one cutlass, one dagger knife and a red cult hooded cap.
Reacting to the operation, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, commended the officers involved for what he described as professionalism and swift action, noting that the intervention prevented what could have escalated into violent attacks within the student community.
Olugbenga assured residents that the Command would sustain efforts aimed at dismantling the alleged criminal network operating in the area.
He added that investigations were ongoing to track down other suspected members who reportedly escaped during the operation.
The police spokesperson disclosed that the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
The Command also urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to support the fight against cultism and other violent crimes across the State.
