Operatives of the Oyo State Police Command have arrested a 38-year-old man, Saheed Eegunjobi, in connection with a violent attack on a commercial motorcyclist in Ibadan.
The command said the arrest was the result of coordinated intelligence-led efforts between the police and community-based security partners, notably Agbekoya Vigilante operatives, 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, currently at large, posed as passengers and boarded a commercial motorcycle from the Mokola area of Ibadan. On reaching the Modina axis of Idi-Aro, the suspects reportedly ordered the rider to stop before launching a vicious attack.
The victim, identified as 32-year-old Sakiru Tiamiyu, was allegedly struck on the head with a cutlass, causing him to fall off the motorcycle. While the accomplice escaped with the motorcycle, passersby swiftly intervened and restrained Eegunjobi at the scene.
Police said the suspect later confessed during interrogation. The injured rider was rushed to a medical facility for urgent treatment, while detectives have intensified efforts 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, leading to the arrest of three suspected cult members.
Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Atiba Division mobilised to the vicinity of Bode Thomas Secondary School, Oyo, where about 30 individuals dressed in black were allegedly assembling for a secret cult meeting. On sighting the police team, the group reportedly dispersed into nearby bushes.
Three suspects – Jelili Taiwo Kazeem, 20; Toheeb Adediran, 25; and Ayomide Taiwo, 23 – were arrested during the operation. Preliminary investigations revealed that Adediran, an okada rider, allegedly conveyed some of the suspected cultists to the location, prompting the impoundment of his motorcycle for investigative purposes.
The suspects reportedly confessed to being members of the Aiye Confraternity, adding that the gathering was organised to celebrate the birthday of one of their members.
A search of the area led to the recovery of a motorcycle, an axe and a black cap, items believed to be linked to the group’s activities.
The Oyo State Police Command urged parents and guardians to take a more active role in engaging their children constructively and to discourage involvement in cultism, criminal gangs and other unlawful associations, warning that the command would continue to deploy intelligence-driven operations to maintain public safety across the state.