The Kogi State Police Command has arrested eight suspected cultists in Itobe, Ofu Local Government Area, and three suspected members of an ATM card-swapping syndicate in Idah, recovering 59 ATM cards and operational weapons in separate operations.
The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, disclosed the operational breakthroughs during a press briefing in Lokoja.
According to the Commissioner, police operatives attached to the Itobe Division, working in synergy with local auxiliary forces and community leaders, raided a hideout behind Government Secondary School, Itobe, on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at about 5:45 p.m.
The eight suspects arrested at the scene were identified as Mutari Ahmed, 26; Mohammed Tairu, 21; Audu Moses Yahaya, 27; Peter Vincent, 28; Progress Aminu, 21; Wisdom Friday, 21; Gabriel Enema, 22; and a 14-year-old minor.
Exhibits recovered during the raid included two TVS motorcycles, an axe, and a cutlass.
CP Kankarofi stated that preliminary investigations revealed the suspects had converged to initiate and elect leadership for a local cult group. He added that confessionary statements linked some of the suspects to the Aro-Baga Vikings and Aiye confraternities, averting impending inter-cult clashes in Itobe and Ejule communities.
The case has been transferred to the Violent Crime Response Unit for detailed investigation and tracking of fleeing accomplices.
In a separate operation on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at about 9:30 a.m., police operatives in Idah apprehended three members of a syndicate specializing in swapping bank customer ATM cards.
The suspects—Philip Akiola, 50; Ojo Thomas, 56; and Abdulrauf Suleiman, 48—were arrested following months of intelligence tracking triggered by a May 19 complaint involving the fraudulent withdrawal of ₦1.5 million from a victim’s bank account.
Operatives recovered 59 ATM cards belonging to various commercial banks alongside an operational vehicle used by the group.
Investigations showed that the syndicate operated by standing close to victims to memorize their Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) before distracting them to swap their bank cards. The suspects named an overseas accomplice, identified simply as Sunday, as the initiator of the scheme.
The police command confirmed that the fraud suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Lokoja, for further prosecution, while advising bank customers to remain vigilant and avoid seeking assistance from strangers at ATM terminals.
