Eight suspected cultists arrested with drugs in Kogi poly

The campus security team of the Kogi State Polytechnic in Lokoja has arrested eight suspected cultists.

The individuals, arrested during the ongoing second-semester examination of the institution, are also suspected of peddling hard drugs.

Uredo Omale, the institution’s PR director, said the suspects were arrested on Wednesday at the main gate of the polytechnic.

Omale stated that three students of the institution were among the eight suspects arrested.

She said the remaining five are non-students from Ekiti state, but based in Abuja.

The director said the three Kogi Poly students among the suspects are all in HND II in the business administration department.

She said the eight suspects have been handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.

“They were reported to be planning to enter the campus with guns and other dangerous weapons in connivance with some cyber-crime suspects,” Omale said.

“Their intent, it was gathered, was to cause harm to their targets and commotion on the campus during the ongoing second-semester examination.

“This was in the guise of their end-of-exam celebration rituals which the management had earlier banned due to security concerns.”

Some of the suspects, Omale said, had hard drugs wrapped in a polythene bag, with papers cut to size for wrapping of drugs.

Omale said one beret cap with a symbol suspected to be that of a cult group was seen in their car.

Among the items recovered from the apprehended suspects and handed over to the police are two cars, a light green coloured Mercedes Benz saloon vehicle, drugs, some naira notes amounting to N14,000 naira, and an mp3 player.

Reacting, Salisu Usman, the polytechnic rector, told students to be vigilant of any “bad elements” that might infiltrate their ranks.