Lagos Police Arrest Five Suspected Cultists, Recover Weapons and Suspected Hard Drugs in Apapa Raid

Lagos Police Arrest Five Suspected Cultists, Recover Weapons and Suspected Hard Drugs in Apapa Raid

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested five suspected cultists allegedly involved in terrorising residents of the Apapa, Ijora and Badia areas of the state, recovering weapons, suspected hard drugs and other incriminating items during a raid on their hideout.

Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command's Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) have arrested five suspected cultists believed to be responsible for criminal activities in the Apapa, Ijora and Badia areas of Lagos.

The Command's spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement, said the operation was carried out following credible intelligence, leading to the arrest of the prime suspect, Abubakar Ayomide, also known as "Garbazin," aged 25.

According to the police, Ayomide subsequently led operatives to the group's hideout, where four other suspects were apprehended. They were identified as Tanko Yusuf, 23; Ahmed Abibu, 24; Abubakar Shafi, 23; and Fatai Mohammed, 25.

Police said the principal suspect confessed to being a member of the Aiye Confraternity and has provided investigators with useful information to aid ongoing investigations. The Command added that efforts are underway to arrest other members of the gang before charging the suspects to court.

During a search of the hideout, operatives recovered one battle axe, one UTC knife, two additional knives, a hammer, substances suspected to be Indian hemp, items suspected to be criminal charms and other exhibits believed to be linked to the group's activities.

Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Fatai Tijani, warned cultists and other criminal elements operating in the state to abandon their illegal activities or face the full weight of the law.

The police commissioner stressed that there is no hiding place for cultists in Lagos, reaffirming the Command's determination to identify, arrest and prosecute all those involved in cult-related violence and other criminal offences.

He further assured residents that the Command would continue to intensify intelligence-driven operations across the state to curb cultism and violent crimes, while urging members of the public to provide timely and credible information to the police.

CP Tijani also assured Lagos residents that all information supplied to the Command would be treated with strict confidentiality.

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