OSUN POLICE ARREST SEVEN SUSPECTS OVER ARMED ROBBERY, ATTEMPTED MURDER AND CULT VIOLENCE
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Osun State Police Command has arrested seven suspects in connection with armed robbery, attempted murder, and cult-related violence in Ile-Ife and Iree, recovering two stolen motorcycles in the process.
Police spokesperson, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, noting that 23-year-old Johnson Olagoke was apprehended for allegedly luring commercial motorcyclists to a secondary school in Ile-Ife on separate occasions in August, where he and his accomplices attacked and dispossessed them of valuables.
According to Ojelabi, the first incident occurred on August 16, 2025, when Olagoke engaged a rider’s service to the school under the guise of retrieving a bag. Two accomplices lying in wait struck the victim with a stick until he lost consciousness. They fled with his motorcycle, N17,850, a Techno phone, and a handbag.
Two days later, on August 18, the suspect struck again, obtaining N5,000 from another motorcyclist before hitting him on the head from behind, rendering him unconscious. His motorcycle, a Techno Spark 9F, and N10,650 were stolen.
“Through intelligence-led operations, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit arrested the suspect and recovered two motorcycles. He is currently assisting investigations to apprehend others at large,” Ojelabi stated.
In a separate development, police confirmed the arrest of six suspected cultists linked to a bloody clash at a higher institution in Iree on September 8 and 9. Members of the Buccaneers confraternity and rival groups reportedly exchanged gunfire, leaving two students injured and hospitalised.
Ojelabi explained that operatives of the Anti-Cultism Unit swiftly moved to the scene on the directive of Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Gotan, and arrested three suspects on the spot. Three others were later apprehended in continuation of the operation.
The suspects were identified as Oluwadamilare Temitope, 23; Ayodeji John, 24; Adepoju Adesoji, 27; Yusuf Abeeb, 24; Fatai Quadri, 24; and Lateef Abiodun, 23.
“All suspects will be charged to court after the completion of investigation,” the police statement concluded.
Cult-related violence remains a major security concern in Nigeria, with over 1,600 deaths recorded nationwide between 2020 and 2025. Osun State has accounted for at least 55 of those deaths, making it one of the states where cult activities are expanding.
Ile-Ife, home to Obafemi Awolowo University, has also witnessed a surge in violent robberies in recent months, particularly around off-campus hostels in Moremi Estate, Modomo, Mayfair, and other neighbouring areas.
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