Lagos State Police Command has arrested four suspected members of the Aiye Confraternity cult group and recovered a locally made Beretta pistol and a live 9mm ammunition during an operation in the Mushin area of the state.
The arrests were carried out by operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU, following intelligence on the activities of suspected cult groups in Mushin.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the Command’s spokesperson, Abimbola Adebisi, the operation began with the arrest of a suspect identified as Irawo Moshod.
The police said Moshod, who allegedly admitted to being a former chairman of the Aiye Confraternity, provided information that led investigators to other suspected members of the group and the recovery of a firearm.
The Command alleged that the suspect also made disclosures concerning the activities of the group, including his alleged involvement in several killings in Mushin and other parts of Lagos State.
Acting on information obtained during the investigation, VCRU operatives reportedly proceeded to Idi-Oro, Mushin, where they recovered a locally made Beretta pistol and one live 9mm ammunition.
The police subsequently arrested three other suspected members of the group at Aganran by Ojuwoye.
They were identified as 29-year-old Abayomi James, 28-year-old Farouq Bankole and 19-year-old Steven Sunday.
According to the Command, the three suspects admitted to being members of the Aiye Confraternity and told investigators that the recovered firearm was allegedly obtained from a man identified as Rilwan, whom they described as the group’s number one member.
The police said the four suspects remained in custody and were assisting investigators with the ongoing probe, while efforts were being intensified to apprehend other suspected members of the group.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Tijani Fatai, commended the VCRU operatives for what he described as a proactive and intelligence-led operation against cult-related criminal activities.
Fatai reaffirmed the Command’s determination to dismantle criminal networks and strengthen security across the state.
He also warned cult groups and other criminal elements to abandon their activities or face prosecution under the law.
The Command urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities to the police to facilitate swift intervention.
Police arrest four suspected cult members, recover pistol, ammunition in Lagos