Matilda Omonaiye/
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested an alleged former chairman of the Aiye Confraternity and three other suspected cultists in Mushin, recovering a locally made Beretta pistol and live ammunition in the process.
The arrests followed an intelligence-led operation by the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) targeting suspected cult networks and violent criminal activities in the area.
Police identified the alleged former cult leader as Irawo Moshod, who was picked up after officers received intelligence on the activities of suspected cultists in Mushin.
According to the Command, Moshod allegedly admitted during interrogation that he was a former chairman of the Aiye Confraternity and provided investigators with information about the group’s operations.
Police said the suspect also made disclosures concerning his alleged involvement in several killings in Mushin and other parts of Lagos State. The claims have yet to be tested in court.
Acting on information obtained during the investigation, VCRU operatives moved to Idi-Oro, Mushin, where they recovered a locally made Beretta pistol and one round of 9mm live ammunition.
The investigation subsequently led operatives to Aganran, by Ojuwoye, where three other suspected members of the confraternity were arrested.
They were identified as Abayomi James, 29; Farouq Bankole, 28; and Steven Sunday, 19.
Police said the three suspects allegedly admitted membership of the Aiye Confraternity and told investigators that the recovered firearm was obtained from another suspect identified simply as Rilwan, whom they described as the group’s “number one” member.
Rilwan remained at large as of Monday, with police saying efforts had been intensified to track him and other suspected members of the group.
The four suspects are being held in police custody and are assisting investigators as the Command widens its probe into the cult network and its alleged involvement in violent crimes across Lagos.
Reacting to the arrests, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, CP Tijani Fatai, commended VCRU operatives for what he described as their proactive and intelligence-driven approach to combating cult-related crimes.
Fatai reaffirmed the Command’s determination to dismantle criminal networks operating across the state and warned cultists and other criminal elements to abandon their activities or face the law.
The Command also urged residents to provide timely information on suspicious activities to assist security agencies in preventing and combating crime.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, announced the arrests in a statement issued on Monday.
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