Gunmen suspected of being members of the Aiye cult terrorizing various parts of Abeokuta have attacked police officers in the Ogun State capital.
The attack, which resulted in a gun battle between the suspected cultists and the police, occurred when the cops attempted to arrest one of them, whom the police identified as Ben, in the Abeokuta neighborhood of Lafenwa.
According to the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, the said Ben was on the command's wanted list for allegedly killing five people.
SWAT operatives and men from the Lafenwa and Ilupeju divisions, according to Oyeyemi, had trailed Ben to where he was holding a nocturnal meeting with his group to launch another attack on Monday.
"Ben, who had been involved in several cult clashes that resulted in the deaths of at least five people," said Oyeyemi, "was holding a nocturnal meeting with his group at Ogun Radio, Mile 2 area of Lafenwa, Abeokuta, for the purpose of launching another attack in some parts of the metropolis.
However, upon seeing the policemen, Oyeyemi hinted that "Ben and his deadly group engaged them in a gun battle which lasted about 30 minutes," adding that Ben later escaped with bullet wounds while three of his men - Jonathan Oshinalu, Kola Bolugbe, and Jimoh Aliu (a.k.a Alaayan) - were arrested.
During the attack, the 'hoodlums' reportedly destroyed a patrol vehicle belonging to the Lafenwa division "before they were subdued by the superior firepower of the police," PRIME 9JA ONLINE MEDIA learnt.
The SWAT team also recovered an unregistered Lexus 330 car, which Oyeyemi claimed they used for their operations.
Meanwhile, Lanre Bankole, the Commissioner of Police in Ogun, has ordered a massive manhunt for Ben and other members of his group, while directing that those arrested be arraigned after thorough investigations.