Police Arrest Suspected Cultist After Gun Battle, Officer Shot

A suspected cult member has been arrested after a failed reprisal attack in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi, Lagos State, during which a police officer was shot.

The suspect, identified as Agbeyangi, was apprehended after he allegedly led a group of armed men to attack rival gang members believed to be linked to factions associated with leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

According to police investigations, the incident occurred at about 10:45 p.m. on Mabolaje Street when the suspects reportedly stormed the area and opened fire at rivals. Unknown to them, police officers on routine patrol were nearby and immediately engaged the attackers in a gun battle.

During the exchange of gunfire, one police officer sustained gunshot injuries, while the suspects fled in different directions. Police reinforcement was deployed, and officers followed a trail of blood that led to a nearby canal, where Agbeyangi was allegedly found hiding with a gunshot wound to his leg.

Police said a locally made pistol with one live cartridge and a Browning pistol magazine loaded with five rounds of live ammunition were recovered from the suspect.

Speaking to journalists, Agbeyangi admitted accompanying the group to confront rival gang members over the killing of one of their associates identified as Samuel. He, however, claimed they did not know police officers were in the area and alleged that another member of the group fired the gun while he was hit by bullets fired by the police.

The suspect also claimed there were two rival factions operating in Oshodi, popularly referred to as the “Oluomo Nation” and the “Koko Zaria Nation,” insisting that his group merely supported one of the factions and was not made up of members of the NURTW.

Confirming the arrest, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing suspects. She warned criminal elements across the state to desist from violent activities or face the full weight of the law.