The police command in Oyo State has apprehended 11 students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, suspected of being members of the Eiye Confraternity.

A statement on Friday by the command’s spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, said operatives of the command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) were deployed to Ogbomoso after credible intelligence indicated that members of the confraternity had converged at a hideout in the Under-G, Yuako, and Adenike areas near LAUTECH.

The spokesman said the suspects were allegedly finalising plans to launch coordinated attacks within the student community, adding that the action could have triggered widespread unrest.

“The Oyo State Police Command has recorded another significant breakthrough in its sustained offensive against cultism and other violent crimes with the arrest of eleven suspected members of the dreaded Eiye Confraternity and the recovery of firearms, ammunition, and other dangerous weapons.

“Further investigation established that all eleven suspects are students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso,” the police spokesman said.

Mr Olayinka said the suspects, all males, confessed to being members of the Eiye Confraternity, adding that preliminary investigation revealed that the students had allegedly been involved in various cult-related criminal activities, including murder.

He identified the suspects as 24-year-old Victor Adedapo, who is the alleged leader of the group; Taiwo Rasheed, 22, the alleged second-in-command; Emeka Issac, 20; Akande Segundo, 26; Akande Julius, 26; Stephen Opeyemi, 24; Fortune Abel, 22; Oluwatunmise Ayodeji, 22; Adigun Oladimeji, 32; Akande Moses, 28; and Karim Kalid, 20.

The spokesman said a thorough search of the suspects’ hideout led to the recovery of four locally fabricated cut-to-size pistols, eleven live cartridges, one expended cartridge, two cult axes, one cutlass, one dagger, and one red cult hooded cap.

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, affirmed the command’s commitment to bringing to justice all individuals connected to the gang, noting that efforts are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate.

Mr Olugbenga stated that all the suspects would be charged to court after investigations are completed.

He urged members of the public to continue to support the command with timely and credible information that would aid the fight against cultism and other violent crimes in the state.