Kwara State Police Command yesterday paraded seven suspected persons for allegedly being members of cult groups in the state.
The police also accused them of being in illegal possession of firearms.
The command also revealed how cult leaders allegedly tasked a member to buy guns, machetes and axes as palliatives for members.
Parading the suspects in Ilorin, the state capital, the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Victor Olaiya, said that policemen arrested one suspected cult member named Ahmed Umar alias Hollybea in the metropolis.
He said: “Investigation led to the arrest of two others,Tunde Olarewaju Usman and Kudus Ajao Okin while others are at large. In the process, one cut-to-size locally made single barrel gun was recovered from Ahmed.”
The commissioner said that Ahmed confessed to have been “tasked by his leaders to buy two guns, two axes and two cutlasses as his contribution to the group as a palliative for forgiveness for fraternizing with another rival cult group.
“He claimed to have shortly bought one gun when he was arrested with the gun. The second suspect, Tunde Olarewaju, a member of Aiye Confraternity confessed to be responsible for the killing of three members of Eiye cult namely: Toheeb of Omoda Area Ilorin, KC of Soji street, Sawmill Ilorin and the third was mowed down at Lanre Gada Sobi Road, Ilorin. He also confessed to be the one in charge of decapitating the bodies of their victims. Efforts are still on-going to arrest other members of the gang,” the CP added.
Others paraded for robbery and membership of secret societies, according to the CP, were Jamiu Idowu Aje aka Ijoba and Shittu Sheriff aka Abule.
Lethal items recovered from them included one cut-to-size English made double-barrel gun; one expended cartridge and one blue color unregistered Jincheng motorcycle.
“Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed to series of robbery operations, including the one that happened late last month at Isale-Koto Area Ilorin where one Afeez Babatunde was killed.
“The gang also escaped with three snatched motocycles they used in killing rival cultists named Gafar and Tunde along Gambari area of Ilorin,” he added.
Olaiya also paraded Azeez Shola Lawal aka Efo, Ismail Musa also known as Ostence for alleged killing and maiming of children in the metropolis.
The police also paraded Abdulsalam, Nurudeen Saka and Segun Tata, Biodun Abolade Ojo aka Abbey, Ibikunle Shola aka Showboy and Morufu Oyekanmi for armed robbery.
The police boss said that the suspects, armed to the teeth, invaded the house of a female victim in Ilorin and “carted away iPhones and jewelries valued at N2 million as well as forced her to make a transfer of N1.6 million to an account while they also drove away with her white model 2010 Toyota Corolla valued at N6.6 million.”
