Lagos police foil alleged cult initiation, arrest four suspects

The Lagos State Police Command have foiled an alleged cult initiation ceremony in the Egbeda area of Lagos and arrested four suspected cultists during a covert midnight operation that also led to the recovery of firearms, live ammunition and other dangerous weapons.

A statement issued by the command on thursday by the public relations officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said that the suspects were allegedly linked to cult-related violence and other criminal activities within Alimosho and surrounding communities.

The suspects were identified as Nurudeen Ganiu, 34; Oluwaleke Fagbula, 38; Emmanuel Silas, 41; and Nurudeen Abdullahi, 41.

According to the statement, the suspects were apprehended following credible intelligence about an alleged midnight cult initiation ceremony taking place in Egbeda.

Acting on the information, police operatives launched a covert operation which led to the arrest of the suspects.

During the raid, officers recovered one locally made cut-to-size pistol, one English Beretta pistol loaded with 10 live cartridges, and a jack knife.

The command said further investigations revealed that one of the suspects is an alleged cult gang leader and a rusticated student of a university in Ogun State who was reportedly expelled in 2022 over cult-related activities.

Police investigations also showed that the group had allegedly been involved in thuggery and terrorising residents of Egbeda and nearby areas for some time.

“The suspects reportedly confessed to being active members of the Eiye Confraternity, a notorious secret cult group,” the statement said.

The police added that the gang allegedly operated with motorcycles, using them to attack unsuspecting residents and disrupt gatherings at gunpoint.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CPTijani Fatai, commended the operatives for what he described as their professionalism and swift response which led to the successful operation.

He assured residents that the command remained committed to tackling cultism and other violent crimes across the state.

The police boss also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information through the command’s emergency lines.