The police in Ekiti have arrested alleged masterminds of cult clashes, and 15 others in connection with different crimes across the state.

Commissioner of Police, Ogundare Dare, said the arrested suspects included kidnappers, robbers, rapists and notorious cultists, among other criminals. 

Represented by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Sunday Abutu, in a news briefing, the commissioner said the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) team of the command, arrested the suspects on April 6, through bush combing operations.

He named the arrested suspects as Augustine Agboobo, Olamilekan Adeniyi, Friday Williams Ukeuima and Gabriel Ademoh, nabbed inside the forest close to Igede farm settlement.

Mr Dare said the suspects during interrogation confessed to be members of a kidnapping syndicate, who had carried out a series of kidnapping operations around the state.

He said that the suspects confessed to have kidnapped Adeleke Ajibade on June 6, 2022, at Igede farm and others and collected ransom before their release.

The police commissioner added that the command also arrested two suspected robbers and recovered two stolen motorcycles with the assistance of some community members in Oke-Ureje in Ado-Ekiti on April 4, at about 22:00 hours.

He said the command also arrested the duo of Saliu Oyebamiji and Mayowa Ajisafe, while a notorious robber and rapist, Jimoh Gani, was arrested on April 4.

The suspects were arrested for allegedly participating in the robbery and raping of a student of a higher institution located in Ikere-Ekiti.

“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to have committed the crime alongside one Femi Ayobami and Alfa Kayode, all residents of Ado-Ekiti, who escaped during arrest.”

The police boss said that various dangerous items were recovered from the suspects, including locally made single barrel guns, one dane gun and bags of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, among others.

The command however called on residents of the state to be security conscious, vigilant and report any suspicious movements observed in their locality to the nearest police station. 

(NAN)