Lagos: Suspected Cultist Arrested for Opening Fire on Police Officers

A 45-year-old suspected cult member has confessed that he and members of his gang opened fire on policemen during a failed reprisal attack in Oshodi, Lagos, claiming they mistook the officers for rival gang members.

The suspect, Tosin Agbeyangi, who sustained a gunshot wound to his leg during the exchange of gunfire, is currently in police custody following the June 15, 2026 incident on Mabolaje Street in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi.

Police investigators said the attack was part of an attempted retaliation over the alleged killing of a member of the suspect’s group, identified simply as Samuel, a few days earlier.

A source attached to the Commissioner of Police Special Squad 1 disclosed that Agbeyangi led a group of armed men to the vicinity of the residence of a leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), popularly known as Koko Zaria, where they believed members of a rival cult group were gathered.

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Unknown to the attackers, policemen on routine patrol had stopped in the area after noticing suspicious activity.

According to the source, the gang fired towards the location where the officers were positioned, prompting the policemen to return fire.

“The suspects scattered in different directions after the police responded. The Divisional Police Officer mobilised reinforcement teams, and officers followed a trail of blood to a nearby canal where the injured suspect was found hiding,” the source said.

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

During interrogation, Agbeyangi admitted that the group had embarked on a reprisal mission but insisted they did not know they were firing at policemen.

“We were coming from a birthday party when we decided to confront our rivals who usually stayed around Koko Zaria’s house. We wanted to retaliate because they had killed one of our members. We didn’t know policemen were there. It was one of the boys, Temidayo, who fired the gun. I was later hit by bullets fired by the police,” he reportedly said.

The suspect, a caterer by profession, denied that the gang intended to assassinate the NURTW leader, maintaining that their target was a rival cult group allegedly operating in the area.

He also denied acting on the instructions of any transport union leader, claiming the violence stemmed from a long-running rivalry between two youth factions known locally as the “Oluomo Nation” and the “Koko Zaria Nation.”

Agbeyangi further alleged that although members of the rival factions support different camps within the transport union, they are not registered members of the NURTW.

Police have launched a manhunt for other members of the gang who escaped during the shootout.

Confirming the arrest, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi said investigations were ongoing and warned criminal gangs to refrain from violent activities or face the full weight of the law.

She reiterated that the command is committed to tackling cult-related violence and ensuring the safety of residents across the state.

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