Police Arrest Two Soldiers, 20 Others in Midnight Cult Raid at Ogun Hotel

— Peoples Talk

The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 22 individuals—including two serving soldiers—suspected to be members of a notorious cult group during a coordinated midnight operation in Abeokuta.

The suspects were apprehended during a raid on Hilton Hotel in the Osiele area by the command’s Anti-Cultism Unit in collaboration with tactical squads from the Odeda and Aregbe Divisions, as well as the SWAT team. The operation was carried out at approximately 8:20 p.m. on Friday, July 25, 2025.

According to the police spokesperson, CSP Omolola Odutola, the crackdown followed credible intelligence suggesting that suspected members of the Aiye confraternity had convened at the hotel.

“A total of 22 individuals were arrested, comprising two soldiers, 19 male suspects, and three female suspects,” Odutola disclosed in a statement issued on Saturday.

Among the items recovered from the scene were a cut-to-size locally made gun, a UTC axe, and several blue beret caps typically associated with the Aiye cult group.

All suspects have been transferred to the Anti-Cultism Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, for further investigation. Odutola also confirmed that no casualties were recorded during the operation.

Reaffirming the command’s commitment to rooting out cultism and related violent crimes, she urged members of the public to continue providing credible information to assist law enforcement in ongoing security efforts across the state.