Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria — Police authorities in southwestern Nigeria say they have arrested a suspected cult leader believed to be connected to violent cult activities in Ondo State, including the killing of a student at a local polytechnic institution.
The Ondo State Police Command, a regional division of the Nigeria Police Force responsible for law enforcement in Ondo State in southwestern Nigeria, confirmed that the suspect, Akinwale Tomiwa, was arrested over alleged involvement in cult related crimes in Owo Local Government Area.
Owo is a historic town in Ondo State and the administrative headquarters of Owo Local Government Area. Police investigators say the suspect had previously been placed on the command’s wanted list due to his alleged role in violent cult activities in the community.
Okay News reports that the arrest followed intelligence received by the police indicating the suspect had been sighted in Akure, the capital city of Ondo State.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, Abayomi Jimoh, explained that officers from the command’s Special Anti Cultism Squad carried out the operation after receiving credible information about the suspect’s location.
He said, “Operatives of the Command’s Special Anti-Cultism Squad in Akure, acting on credible intelligence, arrested a suspect popularly known as ‘Bella’.
“The suspect is alleged to be the leader of the notorious Eiye Confraternity operating within Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, and its environs.
“The arrest followed actionable intelligence indicating that the suspect was sighted around NEPA Junction in Akure. Acting swiftly on the information, operatives mobilised to the location and successfully apprehended him without incident.”
According to the police spokesman, early findings from the investigation suggest that the suspect may have played a role in the killing of Ojo Peter, a student of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic in Owo.
Rufus Giwa Polytechnic is a public tertiary institution located in Owo, Ondo State, that offers technical and vocational education to thousands of students across Nigeria.
Police records show that Ojo Peter was killed on Friday, December 12, 2025, in Owo, an incident that caused anxiety among residents and was widely believed to be connected to clashes between rival cult groups operating around the school community.
Jimoh said further checks by investigators also revealed that the suspect had recently appeared on a cult related social media platform known as Naija Confra.
Authorities believe the suspect was featured on the platform after allegedly taking part in an attack on suspected members of the Aiye Confraternity along Fasawe Street in Owo.
The police said the attack was believed to be part of an ongoing supremacy struggle between rival cult groups in the area, a problem that has periodically led to violent confrontations in several Nigerian university and polytechnic communities.
During a search conducted after the arrest, police officers reportedly recovered several items described as criminal charms. Investigators believe such objects are often used by cult members for protection and intimidation during violent activities.
The police spokesman said investigators are continuing their work to uncover other members of the group linked to the suspect.
He added that security operatives are working to identify and apprehend additional suspects believed to be involved in the cult network operating within Owo and surrounding communities.
