Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kwara State Command, at the weekend arrested six suspected members of two rival cult groups in Ilorin, the state capital.
The suspected cultists alleged to belong to ‘Abata’ and ‘Aye’ cult groups were about to strike at Dada area, Okelele in Ilorin when the NSCDC operatives swooped in on them and arrested them.
The suspects are Raheem Jamiu, 18; Abdullahi Azeez, 20; Sulaimon Folawiyo, 18; Saheed Samad, 18; Sanni Samsudeen, 16, and Jamiu Isa, 19.
Five of the suspects are from Kwara State while Saheed Samad is an indigene of Oyo State.
THISDAY checks revealed that the suspected members of Aye cult group were on a vengeance mission as two of their colleagues were said to have been injured following a misunderstanding between them and members of Abata group during the just concluded Ramadan fasting.
The spokesman of NSCDC in the state, Mr. Babawale Afolabi, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects, said: “It was a serious battle, but only six of them were arrested in the end.
The Operation Harmony and Anti-vandal Squad of the NSCDC, Kwara State Command, swung into action on May 15, 2021, after our intelligence report from our Ilorin South Division indicated that two cult groups, Abata and Aye, will strike at Dada area of Okelele in Ilorin. It was a serious battle but only six of them were apprehended.
“According to them, the misunderstanding started during the Ramadan fasting when two members of the Aye group were deeply injured. The Abata group decided to strike back today. They met very close to the river in that area. Some of the tools used were axes, cutlasses and knives. Saheed Samad and Sanni Samsudeen were seriously wounded.”
