Oyo Police arrest four suspected armed robbers, members of Eiye cult

Abdullateef Fowewe

Operatives of the Oyo State Police Command have arrested four suspected armed robbers and members of a secret cult group following a pre-dawn raid in Soka, Ibadan, the Command confirmed on Friday.

In a statement obtained from the Command, police said their Violent Crime Response Unit acted on “credible intelligence” that members of a notorious criminal syndicate had gathered at a hideout in the Soka area and were “planning to embark on another criminal operation within the community.”

Officers moved to the location at about 6:00 a.m. on Friday, June 10, 2026, and apprehended four suspects identified as Salawu Sarafa alias Folori, Yusuf Tajudeen alias Blacky, Farouq Ariyo and Adebayo Awosemo alias Naira.

A thorough search during the operation yielded a locally made pistol, the statement said. During preliminary questioning, the suspects reportedly “confessed to being members of the Eiye Supremo Confraternity and admitted their involvement in a series of violent criminal activities within the Ibadan metropolis and its environs.”

The Command said it has begun “discreet and intensive efforts aimed at apprehending the fleeing suspect and dismantling the criminal network,” and that investigations are ongoing to establish the full scope of the gang’s activities and identify other accomplices.

Reiterating its commitment to public safety, the Oyo State Police Command urged residents to support law enforcement by providing “timely and credible information that will aid crime prevention and criminal apprehension,” and assured that “all suspects found culpable will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.”