Tension gripped residents of Abule Eko in the Sabon Kasuwa area of Lagos on Monday after the police arrested a suspected cultist and armed robber said to have been terrorizing the community.
The suspect, identified as Onamade Kayode, was picked up by operatives of the Ijede Division of the Lagos State Police Command following a swift operation.
Eyewitnesses had earlier raised alarm, reporting that Kayode was openly brandishing a locally made gun while issuing threats to residents.
Acting on the distress calls, the Ijede police swung into action, tracing the suspect’s movements until he was finally cornered in an uncompleted building.
According to investigators, Kayode, far from being a first-time offender, had previously served a jail term for cultism-related offences and was only released in 2022.
Instead of turning a new leaf, detectives revealed, he allegedly returned to the dark world of cult activities and violent crime.
During interrogation, Kayode admitted he still possessed a firearm and eventually led officers to its hiding place within the building.
In a twist that shocked the operatives, the weapon—a crudely fabricated local gun—was discovered stuffed deep inside a toilet pipe, where he thought no one would look.
Police sources suggested the concealment method hinted at a larger network, as such tactics are often used by cult groups to evade law enforcement.
Kayode is said to be cooperating with investigators, offering information on other cult members and possible locations of hidden weapons across the area.
Security analysts believe the arrest may help unravel a chain of cult-related operations that have long unsettled residents in parts of Lagos.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, praised the vigilance of the public and the quick intervention of the Ijede Division in preventing another round of violence.
He described the operation as a model of community-police partnership, emphasizing that useful intelligence remains a critical weapon against crime.
CP Jimoh also issued a stern warning to young people entangled in cultism and armed robbery, stressing that the police will continue to close in on such groups.
“Our communities can only thrive when criminal elements are exposed and removed,” he said, urging Lagosians to stay law-abiding and proactive in sharing information with security agencies.