Oyo Police Arrest Serving Corporal, Eight Others in Cultism, Kidnapping Crackdown

IBADAN – The Oyo State Police Command has arrested a serving police corporal and eight other suspects in separate operations targeting alleged cultism and kidnapping in the state.

The arrests followed a raid on a suspected Aiye Confraternity hideout and a separate operation that led to the rescue of a 30-year-old kidnap victim from a forest.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Ani Iniedu, disclosed the development in an operational report released on Thursday, November 12, 2026.

Iniedu said operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit, Oyo Operational Base, raided the suspected cult hideout on November 8 and arrested five people.

One of the suspects was identified as Corporal Olayinka Oluwatobi, with force number 538195. He was reportedly attached to MOPOL 72, Ago-Are, and seconded to Sports Eleyele in Ibadan.

Other suspects arrested during the operation included Ayandiran Samuel, identified by the police as the group’s alleged armourer, and Adeyinka Qudus, whom the police described as the suspected cult leader.

The police said operatives recovered an English-made Beretta pistol and three locally fabricated firearms during the raid.

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The case has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Ibadan for further investigation.

In a separate operation on the same date, police operatives working with the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) rescued a 30-year-old man, Abubakar Amidu, from Oteon/Odi Owo Forest.

According to the police, Amidu was abducted on October 31, 2026, and was rescued unhurt on November 8 after security operatives conducted an operation in the forest.

Four suspects were arrested in connection with the kidnapping. They were identified as Abdullahi Bello, Mohammed Kontagora, Alhaji Ali and Usman Alhaji Ali.

The police said the victim’s mobile phone and a chain and padlock allegedly used to restrain him were recovered during the operation.

The command said investigations into both incidents were ongoing, while efforts were being intensified to identify and apprehend other individuals who might be connected to the alleged crimes.

The arrest of a serving police officer among the suspects has also drawn attention to the need for accountability within the security services as authorities continue efforts to tackle cult-related violence, kidnapping and other criminal activities in Oyo State.

The suspects remain allegations under investigation, and their guilt can only be established by a court of law.