Police detains 42 cultist for terrorizing neighborhoods in Lagos.

The arrest of 42 suspected cult members in connection with a string of crimes in the state’s Ijora, Orile, Ebute Meta, and Ikorodu districts was verified by the Lagos State Police Command on Wednesday.

Idowu Owohunwa, the state’s commissioner of police, classified cultism as a crime that is evolving and poses a threat to the state’s internal security while presenting the suspects at the command center in the Ikeja district of the state.

He said, “I laid out a new set of operational plans to frontally address the emerging threat. I reorganised the special unit of the command, zoned the state and with the support of the Inspector-General of Police, we fully equipped and gave a new orientation to the different special units.

 “We sent them to our Area Commands, equip them and charge them to operate optimally not just to identify these cultists but to undertake intelligence-led operations such that the battle will be taken to the doorsteps of these so-called cultists.

 “I am delighted to note that in the course of the intelligence-led anti-cultism operations, we have, as of today, arrested a total of 42 suspected cultists in operations carried out at Ijora, Orile, Ebute Meta, and Ikorodu.

 “In the course of these operations, a total of 10 firearms of various descriptions, including six locally-made short guns, three locally-fabricated semi-automatic pistols, and one English-made pistol, three battle axes used in hacking down innocent citizens or their rivals, three cutlasses, three daggers, three knives, 13 live cartridges, multiple charms, were recovered from the cultists.”

According to Owohunwa, the command will deploy all operational resources and the leadership necessary for the special unit of the command to continue the fight against cultists determined to endanger the state’s internal security.

He added, “The command, under my watch, will deny them the space in a forceful manner to operate and threaten the peace that an average Lagosians so yearn for.

“Secondly, is to reassure Lagosians that the battle to rid Lagos State of cultists and other criminals has started and we will not relent until we restore order across the state.

“So, the cultists or any criminals that operate under whatever guise should take this as a clear and fair warning. They have an option, you either change for the better and opt for a legitimate means of livelihood or you have the police in Lagos State and the law to contend with.”

The CP stated that a united front must be created in order to suppress cultists in the state, while also requesting the assistance of the populace through information and cooperation.