Police in Ogun State said Thursday that no fewer than 30 suspected cultists arrested during a raid on an alleged initiation gathering in Isara-Remo will be charged in court after investigations are completed.
The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit working with detectives from the Isara Area Command and Isara Division following intelligence reports of an unlawful assembly, police spokesperson Oluseyi Babaseyi said in a statement.
According to the police, the suspects had gathered at an uncompleted building in Isara-Remo, where they were allegedly involved in activities linked to cult initiation, including meetings, chanting and the consumption of alcohol.
Babaseyi said the operation was carried out at about 4 p.m. on June 16 after authorities received credible intelligence about the gathering.
“Acting on the intelligence, the Commander of the VCRU swiftly mobilised a combined team of operatives from the unit, Isara Area Command and Isara Division,” he said. “The operatives stormed the location, dispersed the gathering and arrested the suspects in a well-coordinated tactical operation.”
Police said four vehicles allegedly abandoned by fleeing suspects were recovered during the raid. Other items seized included a jackknife, a local drum, a sekere and bottles believed to have been used for alcohol consumption during the gathering.
The suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Eleweran, Abeokuta, where investigations are ongoing, police said.
Authorities added that efforts are underway to apprehend other suspects who escaped during the operation.
Ogun State Commissioner of Police Bode Ojajuni commended the officers involved and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating cult-related activities and violent crime across the state.
“The operation is a clear demonstration of the command’s sustained intelligence-led policing strategy and zero tolerance for violent crime and unlawful assemblies,” the statement said. “Cultism and related criminal activities will not be condoned in any part of the state.”
The arrests come amid intensified efforts by security agencies to curb cultism and other violent crimes in communities across Ogun State.
Police have conducted several raids in recent months, leading to the arrest of suspected cultists, kidnappers and armed robbery suspects as part of ongoing measures to improve public safety and security.
