Men of the Ekiti State Police Command have arrested ten suspected kidnappers and seven other individuals, including a married couple, for cult‑related crimes and armed robbery. Among the kidnappers is a man named Usman, who is believed to have participated in the siege of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps officer Segun Ayebule. Ayebule was shot dead on Oke Ako Road in September of last year.
State Police Public Relations Officer Sunday Abutu spoke in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, on Tuesday while parading the suspects. He said Usman was apprehended inside the forest reserve at Oke Ako in the Ikole Local Government Area. “During the investigation, it was revealed that the arrested suspect was among the hoodlums who laid siege along Oke Ako/Irele Road on 3 September 2022, when a vehicle carrying NSCDC officer Segun Ayebule and his siblings was attacked. The officer was shot and died on the spot, while two of his family members were kidnapped. Concerted efforts by the command’s operatives later led to the rescue of the two kidnapped victims,” Abutu explained.
Abutu added that nine other suspected kidnappers were arrested by members of the Rapid Response Squad and other officers searching bushes in various locations, including Ado Ekiti, a forest near Igede Farms, and Kajola Forest Reserve. The police also detained a couple, identified as Lateef and Jumoke, along with a man named Adewoye, on suspicion of belonging to secret cults and sponsoring recent clashes between the Supreme Eiye Confraternity and the Black Axe “Aiye” confraternity in Ado‑Ekiti. According to the spokesperson, the Rapid Response Squad acted on a tip‑off to arrest the couple and the third individual, who later confessed to being a drug baron.
In an effort to curb the rivalry between the Black Axe Aiye and Supreme Eiye Confraternities, intelligence‑gathering operatives also arrested a man named Malik, suspected of cult membership. Upon his arrest, two locally made pistols and two live cartridges were found in his possession. During questioning, Malik admitted to being a member of a secret cult and named other members who remain at large. The police continue to pursue the remaining fugitives.
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