Varsity gardener, others nabbed for arms possession

A 32-year-old gardener of a private university in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and five other accomplices, have been arrested by operatives of the So-Safe Corps for alleged cultism and possession of ammunition in the state.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the suspects had been terrorising residents and business owners at a place called Rounder and other parts of the Abeokuta-North Local Government Area of the state.

Confirming the development in a statement on Thursday, the state Commander, So-Safe, Soji Ganzallo, said the officers on duty at the Obasanjo Hilltop, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, arrested the gardener during a stop-and-search operation.

Ganzallo said the gang leader, a resident of Feyintolorun Community, Rounder, Abeokuta North while being searched at the access gate of the estate, was found in possession of four live ammunition.

The commander said Victor, who claimed to be working as a gardener at a private university in Abeokuta, confessed during a preliminary investigation that the ammunition was found on him while he was returning from the residence of his employer situated within the Obasanjo Hilltop.

He explained that the suspect mentioned four of his fellow members of Aiye Confraternity including Isiaka Jimoh, 33; Oluwaseun Gabriel, 20; Ojeka Samuel, 19, and Adisa Rasheed, 19, adding that they all live at Feyintolorun and Iyana Cele areas of Rounder, Abeokuta.

Ganzallo further said “The culprit revealed that one of his superiors in the cult group, Olumide Abdullah, aka Maintain, asked him to get the ammunition.

“Some members of the gang, who have their base at Adogbon Shop, Rounder in Abeokuta, are currently at large. The culprits and the items recovered from them include three axes, five cutlasses, four scissors, one knife, one Islamic rosary and one spinner.

“The items have been transferred to the police Anti-Cultism Unit, Oke-Ijemo, Abeokuta, for further investigation and onward transfer to the police headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.”

(Punch)