Police arrest three suspected cultists, recover beretta pistol, seven dane guns in Lagos

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested three suspected members of the Aiye Confraternity in Imota, Lagos, recovering a Beretta pistol, seven Dane guns, a locally made pistol and other dangerous weapons during an intelligence-led operation.

The suspects, identified as Jelili Adeyemo, 37, Bisoye Adewale, 42, and John Okeafo, 60, have been arraigned and remanded by a court, while police have intensified efforts to arrest other fleeing members of the gang.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, saying the operation followed credible intelligence supplied by members of the public on the activities of suspected cultists in Imota.

According to the statement, Adeyemo is believed to be the armourer of the group. Recovered exhibits include one Beretta pistol, one locally made pistol, seven Dane guns, 10 live cartridges, seven expended cartridges, one stun gun, two pairs of handcuffs, four cutlasses and other incriminating items.

Preliminary investigation, the police said, revealed that the suspects are members of the Aiye Confraternity, adding that the recovered Beretta pistol allegedly belongs to a notorious cultist known as “Mayibone”, who is currently at large.

The statement added that efforts were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing gang members and recover additional weapons linked to the group.

Reaffirming the command’s resolve to rid Lagos of cultism and other violent crimes, the Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Fatai, urged residents to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies.

“The Command remains committed to tackling cultism and other violent crimes across the state. We urge residents to continue supporting the Police with timely and credible information to aid ongoing crime-fighting efforts,” the commissioner said.