Police arrest top cultists terrorising Ikorodu

By Bose Adelaja 

CITIZENS COMPASS —In what was described as conspiracy and cultism, Lagos State Police Command has arrested four cult leaders who have been terrorising Ikorodu and its environs in Lagos State. 

The suspects: Balogun Tola popularly known as 50 ‘m’ aged 35, Tunde Oladipupo ‘m’ aged 43, Rasa Ridwan ‘m’ aged 27 and Abimbola Aro ‘m’ aged 29 were among the 37 suspects paraded by the Command on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja. 

While parading the suspects, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Adegoke Fayoade

, said this was part of his success stories within a month he assumed office at the Command. 

The CP said they were arrested in the month of January 2024. 

According to him, the 37 suspects were arrested for engaging in varying crimes including armed robbery, stealing, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms etc.

One of the cases we are able to crack is conspiracy and cultism, we are able to arrest Numbers 1,2 and 3, cultists who have been terrorising Ikorodu

with all cases of cultism, robbery, extortion and other things. 

“On January 11, 2024, at about 0100hrs, operatives of the Lagos State Command, upon credible intelligence concerning activities of some hoodlums terrorizing Ikorodu and its environs swung into action, and arrested one Balogun Tola aka 50 ‘m’ aged 35, Tunde Oladipupo ‘m’ aged 43, Rasa Ridwan ‘m’ aged 27 and Abimbola Aro ‘m’ aged 29 in connection with cult related activities. 

“The following items were recovered from them: Three English double barrel guns, One pump action rifle, one reining model 700 rifle, one locally made pistol, Seventy-Four rounds of live ammunition, Sixty-Eight rounds of cartridges, one barretta pistol magazine, Four axes, Three daggers and Five cutlasses.

“From these recoveries, you can see that the suspects are more than cultists, they are not different from armed robbers, they can even take over a village or town with the type of arms and ammunition recovered from them. 

Two arrested over occultic shrine in Agunfoye 

“On January 13, 2024, at about 1500 hrs, based on credible intelligence that some boys were seen making occultic practices around Agufoye area of Ikorodu, operatives of the Command swiftly arrested one Ifeanyi Nwodo ‘m’ aged 39 and Daniel Johnson ‘m’ aged 32. 

Investigations revealed that they were trying to set up their occultic shrine named ‘Indian Occultic Temple’ with intent to defraud victims

by making them believe that the oracle has powers of making them rich and successful. Several occult items including moulded human head, crafted human effigies were found in their shrine.”

Similarly, CP Adegoke said within the period under review, a total number of 1,050 motorcycles were impounded by the operatives while enforcing the motorcycle ban across the State.  “In the same period under review, a total of 1,050 motorcycles were impounded on prohibited routes.

The Command also arrested some suspected cultists in the Ayobo area of Lagos, “On December 17, 2023, at about 2300hrs, based on credible intelligence that some group of boys suspected to be members of a confraternity were planning to retaliate their leader’s death on other rival cult members in Ayobo area of Lagos State, Police operatives of the Command were dispatched to the area where one Quadri Mukail ‘m’, Adedoyin Azeez ‘m’, Olayinka Ayodele ‘m’, Orefuwa Olamide ‘m’ and Anuoluwapo Ojo ‘m’ were apprehended in possession of one barretta pistol with two cartridges and one axe.*

Recovered items 

He gave the breakdown of the recovered items thus, “From all these cases, which we successfully cracked, we recovered a total of 16 firearms including a toy pistol, 72 live cartridges, 75 live ammunition, one expended cartridge, one pistol magazine, six axes, four daggers, five cutlasses, two vehicles, one POS machine, fake vehicle registration plates and various charms.”