Five suspected cultist arrested in Lagos police raid, weapons, drugs recovered

By Florencemary Nwabueze

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested five suspected cultists believed to be terrorizing the Apapa, Ijora, and Badia areas of the state.

According the commands public relations officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi on Saturday, the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), acting on credible intelligence, apprehended the suspects in a coordinated operation that dismantled a criminal hideout in the area.

The first suspect arrested is identified as Abubakar Ayomide, 25, also known as "Garbazin." The suspect subsequently led law enforcement officers to the group's hideout, where four additional suspects identified as Tanko Yusuf, 23; Ahmed Abibu, 24; Abubakar Shafi, 23; and Fatai Mohammed, 25, were taken into custody.

According to investigators, the principal suspect has confessed to being a member of the Aiye Confraternity and is cooperating with authorities.

A search of the hideout yielded a cache of dangerous weapons and illicit items, including one battle axe, a UTC knife, two additional knives, a hammer, substances suspected to be Indian hemp, and items believed to be criminal charms.

Responding to the arrest, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Fatai, issued a stern warning to cultists and other criminal elements operating within the state. "There is no hiding place for cultists in Lagos," he declared, adding that the Command remains resolute in identifying, arresting, and prosecuting every individual involved in cult-related violence.

The Commissioner further reassured residents that the police would intensify intelligence-led operations across the state until cultism and other violent crimes are decisively curtailed. He also appealed to members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to law enforcement agencies through its emergency lines.

Abimbola, also assured that all reports would be treated with the utmost confidentiality. She further noted that investigations are ongoing with efforts to apprehend other members of the criminal gang before prosecution.