BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
A suspected cultist in Osun State, Rasheed Hammed, popularly known as Oko-Ilu, has been arrested by the State Police Command.
Oko-Ilu, who has been terrorising Ede and allegedly caused deaths of many, including two policemen, was arrested by men of the anti-cultism unit of the police.
He was arrested around 4 a.m. on Sunday in his hideout in the state capital and is currently cooling off in the police custody.
Rasheed, a welder by vocation, has been trailed by the security agents for allegedly causing the death of many people in Ede community.
Aside killing the cop during an encounter with him few months ago, ‘Rasidi Baale Oko’lu’ was also linked to the deaths of Hassan Adedeji, a Higher National Diploma graduate of Banking and Finance of Federal Polytechnic, Ede, awaiting his call-up letter, as well as, an Okada rider, whose identity was not made known.
He was consequently declared wanted by Osun State Police Command, saying anyone that harboured him would also be treated as a criminal.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer for Osun Command, Yemisi Opalola, in March had said Rasheed was wanted in connection with offences of murder, arson, ritual killing and armed robbery.
“The suspect has been causing menace in Ede and the entire Osun state. Anybody that harbours the suspect will be treated by the police as an accomplice to the crimes. Anybody with useful information on his whereabouts will be handsomely rewarded,” the police had said.
A security source informed our correspondent that police had received a tip-off that Oko’lu had returned to town after about five months before his hideout was busted.
The two legs of the suspect were said to have been riddled with bullets after he was nabbed.
The suspect had made a scary viral video to the people of the Ede community and threatened to return and kill more.
Meanwhile, there was pandemonium in Egbatedo area of the state on Sunday when suspected thugs and cultists clashed over the death of a suspected political thug popularly known as Spanal.
Spanal was shot dead on Friday by suspected cultists at Oke-Ijetu, Ilesa-Garage area of Osogbo, Osogbo Local Government Area of Osun State, alongside his seven-year-old daughter a few hours after his wife gave birth.
Sources said that some suspected thugs loyal to Spanal were said to have stormed Egbatedo area to revenge the killing of the notorious thug said to be a close ally of the Chairman of the Osogbo branch of NURTW, Kazeem Oyewale, popularly called Asiri Eniba.
