No fewer than 30 suspected cultists arrested during a police operation targeting an alleged initiation gathering in Isara-Remo, Ogun State, are set to be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations, the Ogun State Police Command has disclosed.

The command’s spokesperson, CSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, revealed this in a statement issued on Thursday, stating that the suspects were apprehended by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) in collaboration with detectives from the Isara Area Command and Isara Divisional Headquarters.

According to Babaseyi, the arrests followed credible intelligence reports indicating that a group of suspected cult members had converged at an uncompleted building in Isara-Remo for activities linked to a cult initiation exercise.

He said the gathering reportedly involved meetings, chanting and the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

“Acting on the intelligence, the Commander of the VCRU swiftly mobilised a combined team of operatives from the unit, Isara Area Command and Isara Division. The operatives stormed the location, dispersed the gathering and arrested the suspects in a well-coordinated tactical operation,” the statement read.

The operation, which took place at about 4 p.m. on June 16, also led to the recovery of several items believed to be connected to the gathering.

Babaseyi said four vehicles allegedly abandoned by fleeing suspects were recovered at the scene, alongside exhibits including a jackknife, a local drum, a sekere and bottles suspected to have been used for alcohol consumption during the assembly.

The suspects have since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation.

The police spokesperson stated that the suspects would be charged to court upon the completion of investigations, while efforts were ongoing to apprehend other individuals who escaped during the raid.

Commending the operatives involved in the operation, the Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, reaffirmed the command’s determination to sustain its crackdown on cultism and other violent crimes across the state.

“The operation is a clear demonstration of the Command’s sustained intelligence-led policing strategy and zero tolerance for violent crime and unlawful assemblies. Cultism and related criminal activities will not be condoned in any part of the state,” the commissioner said.

The latest arrests come amid intensified efforts by security agencies to combat cult-related violence and other criminal activities in Ogun State. In recent months, the command has conducted a series of intelligence-led operations resulting in the arrest of suspected cultists, kidnappers and armed robbery suspects as part of ongoing measures to enhance public safety and security.