3 Secondary School Students, 1 Other Arrested For Alleged Cultism in Lagos

Three Secondary students and one apprentice suspected to be cultists have been arrested by Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command in the Alakuko area of the state on Friday.

According to Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the student cultists came to Lagos from Ogun State for reprisal attacks on rival cult members at Junior Secondary Schools, Akinyele, Alakuko.

The suspects are: 18-year-old Tosin Balogun, m; 15-year-old Sunday Dare, m; 14-year-old Jubril Olayinka, m; and 15-year-old Sani Babatunde.

Spokesperson for the police in Lagos, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement, said Balogun and Olayinka are students of Odewale Community High School Ijoko Ogun State. He added that Babatunde is a student of Tunik International School, Dalemo Alakuko; while Dare is a tailoring apprentice at Alakuko.

The police spokesman said: ‘Police operatives attached to Alakuko Division of the Lagos State Police Command, on Friday, April 16, arrested four suspected cultists that came from Ogun State for a reprisal [attack] on other rival cult members at the Junior Secondary Schools, Akinyele, Alakuko, Lagos State.

‘The suspects are Tosin Balogun,18, Sunday Dare, 15, Olayinka Jubril,14, and Sanni Ayomide Babatunde, 15. Tosin Balogun and Jubril Olayinka are students of Odewale Community High School, Ijoko, Ogun State, while Sanni Babatunde is a student of Tunik International School, Dalemo Alakuko, and Dare Sunday is a tailoring apprentice at Dalemo Alakuko.

‘The police operatives had got wind of the planned reprisal on their rivals in the school and raced to the scene immediately the suspects arrived to cause pandemonium and attack their targets.

Items like cuttlasses, weed suspected to be Indian Hemp and assorted charms were recovered from them.

‘In another development, the operatives of D9 (Anti Robbery) Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba today, April 17, acting upon information, arrested a gang of armed robbers/suspected cultists namely: Victor Alfred, Chubike Ikeh Donatus and Isiaka Olamide, all 19 years of age, at Marble Guest House, No 33 Ajibike Street, Ogudu Ojota…

‘One Beretta pistol, weed suspected to be Indian Hemp and assorted charms were recovered from them.

‘The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered that the suspected cultists be moved to the Command’s Special Squad, Ikeja, for proper investigation and possible arrest of other members of their gang, while the suspected armed robbers be properly investigated and profiled by the Anti Robbery Section of the State CID.

‘The police boss reiterated his commitment to eradicating cult related crises and other forms of criminality in the State; and making the state very hot for the survival and operations of any cult or armed robbery group in the state.’