CITIZENS COMPASS– POLICE in Ogun State have arrested three suspected cultists after a gun duel in Abeokuta, the state capital.
The suspects were said to be members of the Aiye cult group terrorizing different parts of Abeokuta.
It was gathered that the gun duel ensued when the cops tried to arrest their kingpin identified as Ben, around Lafenwa area.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed on Tuesday that the said Ben had been on the wanted list of the command for allegedly killing five persons.
Oyeyemi said SWAT operatives and men of the Lafenwa and Ilupeju divisions had on Monday trailed Ben to where he was holding a nocturnal meeting with his group to launch another attack.
“Ben, who had been involved in several cult clashes leading to the killing of not less than five persons, was holding a nocturnal meeting with his group at Ogun Radio, Mile 2 area of Lafenwa, Abeokuta, for the purpose of launching another attack in some parts of the metropolis,” said Oyeyemi.
But on sighting the policemen, Oyeyemi hinted that “Ben and his deadly group engaged them in a gun battle which lasted for about 30 minutes,” saying that Ben later escaped with bullet wounds while three of his men – Jonathan Oshinalu, Kola Bolugbe, and Jimoh Aliu (a.k.a Alaayan) were arrested.
During the attack, the ‘hoodlums’ reportedly destroyed a patrol vehicle belonging to Lafenwa division “before they were subdued by the superior firepower of the police,”
It was also gathered that an unregistered Lexus 330 car, which Oyeyemi said they used for their operations, was recovered by the SWAT team.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Ogun, Lanre Bankole, has ordered a massive manhunt for Ben and other members of his group, while directing that the arrested ones be arraigned after discreet investigations.
