The Oyo State Police Command has listed some places across Ibadan as cultism hotspot areas.
The State Commissioner of Police, Ayodele Sonubi announced the hotpots area for cultists at the Command headquarters at Eleyele while parading
15 suspected cultists and armed robbers in Ibadan.
Sonubi revealed that cult-related activities have been reported in several areas across Ibadan, including Apete, Abayomi (Iwo-Road axis), Ijokodo, Moniya, Monatan, Ojoo, Samonda, and Sango.
He said experiences of cult-related violence are retaliatory-driven, embedded with a quest for absolute dominance by these sinister cult groups against their rivals.
While addressing journalists, Sonubi expressed concern over the rising menace of cultism and related criminal activities in the state.
“Cultism poses a significant threat to public safety,” Sonubi stated, highlighting the Command’s strategic measures to combat the menace.
Sonubi said during the arrest of the 15 suspected cultists and armed robbers, several incriminating items were seized, including Five jackets with cultism inscriptions; Three Dane guns; One locally made pistol; One cut-to-size gun; One long-barrel gun; A Toyota Camry with registration number KTU 41 JH; A red cloth, a powder blue beret with inscriptions, and three cutlasses, among other items.
The State Commissioner of Police said
to address the issue of cultism in the state, the Command has employed intelligence gathering, advocacy campaigns, stakeholder meetings, and regular raids to stem the spread of violence.
Sonubi appealed to parents, guardians, and community leaders to dissuade their wards from engaging in cultism, warning that the police would not hesitate to bring perpetrators to justice.
He assured residents of “high-level visibility policing, coordinated stop-and-search operations, and intelligence-led raids” aimed at maintaining law and order.
