RRS arrests 18 cultists over murder of eight people

TRACKING____Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Lagos State Police Command, have arrested 18 suspected cultists for allegedly killing eight people.

The suspects, 12 members of Aiye Confraternity and six members of Eiye Confraternity, were picked up by the Decoy Team of the RRS in their hideouts in different parts of Lagos and Akwa Ibom states. The suspects were presented to journalists yesterday at the Police Command, Ikeja, by the Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu.

The groups, whose violent activities date back to January 2019, when Solomon Cosmos aka Solomon Terror, an elder brother of Ikenna Cosmos, an Aiye cult leader, was killed by some Eiye members at the Ogudu/Ojota area of the metropolis in the presence of his son.

Ikenna Cosmos, in commemorating the killing of his brother on January 9, 2020, allegedly concluded arrangements to unleash violence on the perceived killers of his brother. But detectives from the Ogudu Police Station thwarted the ploy after they got wind of the plan.

However, in a new twist, the gang commenced violence in January, which claimed the lives of eight people, identified as Sule aka Minister, Terror, Pamilerin and his friend, name yet unknown. Others are Olaolu Abiodun, Daniel, Babatunde Adebayo and Dauda Akinode. They were all killed in January 2020.

Odumosu, while attempting to rein in the escalating violence, ordered the Decoy Team of RRS to arrest all the suspects.

Some of the suspects were with bullet wounds on their bodies.

Odumosu said: “We’re prepared to nip in the bud violence of all kinds in the state particularly that resulting from cult groups.”