Police Arrest Four Over Cultism, Robbery

Operatives of the Oyo State Police Command have arrested a 38-year-old man, Saheed Eegunjobi, over the violent attack on a commercial motorcyclist in Ibadan, the state capital.

The command said the arrest was made through collaboration between the police and community-based partners, particularly personnel of the Agbekoya Vigilante group, who apprehended the suspect and handed him over to a patrol team attached to the Idi-Aro Division.

According to police accounts, Eegunjobi and an accomplice, who is currently at large, allegedly posed as passengers and boarded a commercial motorcycle from the Mokola area of Ibadan. On reaching the Modina area of Idi-Aro, the suspects reportedly asked the rider to stop before launching an attack.

The victim, identified as Sakiru Tiamiyu, 32, was said to have sustained head injuries after being struck with a cutlass. He reportedly fell from the motorcycle during the attack, while the accomplice fled the scene with the motorcycle.

Passersby were said to have intervened and apprehended Eegunjobi at the scene. During interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to his involvement in the attack. The injured motorcyclist was rushed to a medical facility for treatment, while police said efforts were ongoing to arrest the fleeing accomplice and recover the stolen motorcycle.

In a related development, the command also announced the disruption of a suspected cult gathering in Oyo town, which led to the arrest of three suspected cult members.

Acting on intelligence, operatives of the Atiba Division reportedly mobilised to the premises of Bode Thomas Secondary School, Oyo, where about 30 individuals dressed in black were allegedly converging for a secret cult meeting. The group reportedly fled into nearby bushes on sighting the police.

Three suspects – Jelili Taiwo Kazeem, 20; Toheeb Adediran, 25; and Ayomide Taiwo, 23 – were arrested during the operation. Preliminary investigations indicated that Adediran, an okada rider, conveyed some of the suspected cult members to the location, and his motorcycle was impounded for investigative purposes.

Police said the suspects confessed to being members of the Aiye Confraternity and claimed the gathering was organised to celebrate the birthday of one of their members. A search of the area led to the recovery of one motorcycle, an axe and a black cap believed to be linked to the group’s activities.

The command urged parents and guardians to engage their children constructively and discourage them from involvement in cultism, criminal gangs and other unlawful associations.