The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four suspected cultists during a covert operation in the Egbeda area of the state, recovering firearms, ammunition and a knife from the suspects.
The arrests were announced in a statement issued on Thursday through the Command’s official X account and signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adebisi Hundeyin.
According to the police, the operation followed intelligence reports about a suspected cult initiation ceremony allegedly scheduled to take place around midnight within the community.
The suspects were identified as Nurudeen Ganiu, 34; Oluwaleke Fagbula, 38; Emmanuel Silas, 41; and Nurudeen Abdullahi, 41.
Police operatives were said to have acted on what the command described as credible intelligence by launching a covert operation that led to the successful arrest of the suspects and the recovery of several dangerous items.
Recovered exhibits included a locally fabricated cut-to-size pistol, an English Beretta pistol loaded with 10 rounds of live ammunition, and a jackknife.
The statement disclosed that preliminary investigations revealed that one of the arrested suspects is allegedly a notorious cult gang leader and a former university student in Ogun State who was expelled in 2022 over cult-related activities.
The command further linked the group to several violent crimes and acts of thuggery that have reportedly unsettled residents of Egbeda and neighbouring communities.
According to the police, members of the gang allegedly use motorcycles to launch attacks on unsuspecting residents and disrupt social gatherings at gunpoint.
“The gang operates by using motorcycles to launch attacks on unsuspecting members of the public and disrupt gatherings at gunpoint,” the statement said.
The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, CP Olohundare Jimoh, commended the operatives involved in the raid for their professionalism and swift response, noting that the operation demonstrates the command’s determination to combat cultism and violent crimes across the state.
He also urged residents to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information capable of aiding crime prevention and law enforcement efforts.
The police added that investigations are ongoing and assured that the suspects would be prosecuted after the conclusion of inquiries.
