The Police Command in Oyo State has arrested 11 suspects over alleged cultism, armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms in various locations within the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade disclosed this to newsmen while parading the suspects at the Command’s headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan on Monday.

Ayanlade said the exhibits recovered from the suspects were five guns—including a revolver pistol, a Beretta pistol, a pump-action gun, and a locally made cut-to-size pistol—along with four cutlasses.

He said that the arrest formed part of the ongoing investigations and operation of the Command in ridding Oyo State of crime and criminal activities, especially violent crime.

He disclosed that one of the arrested suspects was a very bright physics student of an institution in the state, who had won several awards, but turned out to be the leader of a cult group, Eiye confraternity.

The PPRO said that the student was arrested together with his colleagues in possession of a firearm, a cutlass, and ammunition.

He added that other arrested suspects were a syndicate who specialised in robbing unsuspecting Nigerians of their possessions, especially phones, in different locations within Ibadan and its environs.

He said the leader of the suspected armed robbers had earlier been arrested, prosecuted and currently in a correctional facility.

Ayanlade said that the suspected armed robbers were arrested as a result of painstaking intelligence gathering with the support and collaboration of members of the public.

He said that the suspects were arrested in their various hideouts by operatives of the command monitoring unit.

One of the armed robbery suspects, a 35-year-old, told journalists that his gang operated with cutlasses to instill fear in their victims before snatching their mobile phones.

The suspect said that the gang had snatched a total of 10 expensive phones, which were eventually sold for between N40,000 and N50,000.

Also speaking in an interview, the suspected cultist student said he was initiated as the leader of the group a year ago after graduating from an institution in Apata area of Ibadan.

The suspect said that he could not really say what pushed him into joining the cult group. (NAN)

The 51-year-old comedian and actor is facing several charges of rape and sexual assault against six women, which are alleged to have occurred between 1999 and 2009.

The trial at Southwark Crown Court, which could last up to 10 weeks, is expected to begin with the process of jury selection on Monday morning.

Brand pleaded not guilty to the charges during pre-trial hearings.

The comedian and actor arrived at court wearing a navy suit and sunglasses, accompanied by his wife Laura.

There was a large media presence at the court for the start of the trial, which is expected to last up to 10 weeks.

He has been charged with three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault.

He rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and became a household name as host of TV shows such as Big Brother’s Big Mouth, and with his own radio programmes on stations.

Brand went on to establish a Hollywood career, starring in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and getting him to the Greek. In recent years, he has turned to podcasting.

From Wins Charity, Owerri

A woman, Peace Jonah has been granted N500, 000 bail by a chief Magistrate in Imo State, C.J Nkwoada after she was arraigned by the police in the state.

The suspect was arraigned on Friday by the police on one count charge bordering on inflicting grievous harm on a 14 year old girl, Chilaka Osinachi.

The operatives of the State Criminal Investigations Department in Owerri had in August arrested Jonah following a petition written against her by a human rights organization, Sand For Humanity Foundation.

Arraigning the suspect, the police prosecutor, Sampson Obodo, told the court that the woman used boiled water to batter the minor’s breasts and other parts of her body.

Obodo told the court that the suspect’s action was illegal as punishable under section 355 of the criminal code Cap C38 laws of the country and prayed the court to remind her in prison while Counsel to the woman, Innocent Onyekwere, asked the court to release the woman on bail,

In his ruling, the Magistrate granted the suspect N500, 000 bail, deposition of recent passport photographs and verification of the house address of her surety.

The charge sheet read ” that you Peace Jonah on the 21 day of August, 2026, at Umuamadi Nguru Mbaise, triable in the Ngor Okpala Magisterial district did unlawfully assault one Chilaka Osinachi by pouring on her hot water on her belly and her breasts which caused her grievous harm and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 355 of the criminal code Cap C38 laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004 as applicable in Imo State of Nigeria.”

The president of the human rights organization, Chidiebube Okeoma, which initiated the arrest of the woman, disclosed in a statement in Owerri on Sunday that the organization was seriously fighting all forms of child abuse in the state.

Okeoma,   a child rights advocate, said that using boiled water to batter a girl child was a criminal offense.

Saying that bail is not exoneration of crime, Okeoma said that his organization would pursue the court proceedings to its logical conclusion so as to serve as a deterrent to others who abuse children.

Okeoma disclosed that Stand For Humanity Foundation got wind of the abuse on the minor through its whistleblowing policy, urging members of the public to keep reporting abuses on children to the organization