Police smash cultists’ initiation process in Ogun, arrest 30 suspects 

The Ogun State Police Command disrupted a suspected cult initiation gathering, arresting thirty men in Isara‑Remo.

According to the Daily Post, the suspects had assembled at an unfinished building in Isara‑Remo, where they drank alcohol and chanted before being taken into custody.

The arrested men are Muiz Olawale, Adeniji Akinwale, Ajayi Victor, Damilola Oluwasegun, Adewale Olayemi, Aminu Rahmon, Olodudu Ademola, Matthew Imoleayo, Adenle Habeb, Lekan Qudus, Olamilekan Ayanleke, Adegbasa Ezekiel, Ibukun Adeniyi, Abiodun Babatunde, Oshofolahan Michael, Salau Adedeji, Benjamin Kehinde, Magnus Elijah and Oluwadamilare Samson. Other names include Oyebowale Ojutona, Abiodun Makanjuola, Idowu Toheeb, Olamide Sunday, Malik Also, Abdullahi Damilola, Israel Ayomikun, Oyeledun Ezekiel, Adelabu Imoleayo, Ajayi Oluwasegun and Olaawun Faith.

Police spokesperson DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi confirmed the arrests on Thursday, noting that the suspects were taken into custody on Tuesday by the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) in cooperation with detectives from the Isara Area Command and Isara Division.

During the operation, four abandoned vehicles, a knife, a local drum, a “sekere” (rattle) and bottles believed to have contained alcohol were seized.

Babaseyi said, “The operation was carried out on 16 June 2026, at about 1600 hrs, following credible intelligence that a group of suspected hoodlums had converged at an unfinished building in Isara‑Remo for an unlawful gathering involving meeting activities, consumption of alcoholic substances, chanting, and initiation attempts. Acting on the intelligence, the Commander of the VCRU swiftly mobilised a combined team of operatives from the Unit, Isara Area Command, and Isara Division. The operatives stormed the location, dispersed the gathering, and arrested the suspects in a well‑coordinated tactical operation.”

The suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Abeokuta and will be charged in court once the investigation is complete. “Efforts are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing suspects,” Babaseyi added.

State Commissioner of Police Bode Ojajuni praised the rapid response, discipline and professionalism of the officers involved, describing the operation as a clear demonstration of the Command’s intelligence‑led policing strategy and its zero‑tolerance stance on violent crime and unlawful assemblies. He reiterated that cultism and related criminal activities will not be tolerated in the State, urging the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious gatherings or criminal activity to the nearest police station.