In Ogun State, operatives from the Department of State Security (DSS) have apprehended Hon. Damilare Bello Mohammed, a current member of the State House of Assembly (OGHA).
He stands accused of playing a role in the recent violent clashes between rival secret cults in Sagamu town, which tragically claimed the lives of eight individuals over the past weekend.
Hon. Mohammed, who secured his recent election under the banner of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to represent Sagamu State Constituency 1, was taken into custody alongside five other individuals suspected of being connected to the cult-related violence.
The five other suspects; Debbo Animashaun, Bamidele Saheed, Ismaila Onitire, Adewale Otesanya and Tobi Owoade, were arrested by the DSS operatives during a sting operation after a tip-off at the early hours of Thursday within the residence of the lawmaker.
A statement issued by ‘Lekan Adeniran, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Dapo Abiodun, said the DSS had since Wednesday tracked the six suspected cultists to the official residence of the lawmaker, where he was allegedly providing shelter to the cultists.
In his statement, Adeniran revealed that the suspects are currently undergoing intensive interrogation while in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
This development comes in the wake of a significant discovery of numerous dangerous weapons, including firearms, which were seized from these individuals.
Recalling an earlier incident from February this year, it is worth noting that the same individual, Hon. Bello, had previously been detained by the DSS.
He faced allegations of orchestrating a violent protest in Sagamu, where enraged youths vandalized approximately ten banks and various public infrastructure in response to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) naira redesign policy.