Three Suspected Cultists Remanded Over Arms Cache In Lagos

By Sherif Salau

Three suspected cultists were arraigned and remanded by a Lagos court after police seized a cache of firearms and dangerous weapons in an intelligence-led raid in the Imota area of the state.

The suspects Jelili Adeyemo, 37, said to be the group’s armourer, Bisoye Adewale, 42 and John Okeafo, 60 were arrested during a targeted operation by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command. Preliminary investigations linked them to the Aiye Confraternity, a proscribed society whose activities have long unsettled communities across the metropolis.

According to a statement from the command, the raid followed credible tip-offs from residents who reported the men’s movements and suspected cult-related activities in Imota. Officers stormed the location and recovered one Beretta pistol, one locally made pistol, seven Dane guns, ten live cartridges, seven expended cartridges, a stun gun, two pairs of handcuffs, four cutlasses and other exhibits.

Police said the Beretta pistol is believed to belong to a notorious cultist identified only as “Mayibone,” who remains at large. The three men have since been charged and remanded while investigations continue into other members of the network still on the run.

Commissioner of Police Tijani Fatai reaffirmed the command’s determination to dismantle cult groups and curb violent crime in the state. He appealed to residents to keep providing timely information, stressing that public cooperation remains vital to ongoing operations.

The arrests form part of a broader push by Lagos police against cultism, a persistent threat that has claimed lives and disrupted neighbourhoods for years. With the suspects now in custody and weapons taken off the streets, authorities say the focus has shifted to tracking remaining associates and preventing further violence.