The security team of the Kogi State Polytechnic Lokoja, has arrested eight suspected cultists and hard drug peddlers during the ongoing second semester examination of the institution.<\/p>\n
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This is contained in a statement by the institution\u2019s Director, Public Relations and Protocol, Uredo Omale, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Omale stated that three students of the institution were among the eight suspects arrested while the remaining five were non-students from Ekiti State, but based in Abuja.<\/p>\n
According to her, the three students are all in HND II in the Department of Business Administration.<\/p>\n
Omale said that the eight arrested suspects had been handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir arrest was as a result of proactive measures put in place by the management of the Kogi Polytechnic to checkmate invasion of the institution by cultists and other outlawed groups and individuals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were reported to be planning to enter the campus with guns and other dangerous weapons in connivance with some cyber-crime suspects popularly known as yahoo yahoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir intent, it was gathered, was to cause harms on their targets and commotion on the campus during the ongoing second semester examination.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was in the guise of their end-of- examination graduation \u201ccelebration\u201d rituals which the Management had earlier banned due to security concerns,\u201d Omale stated.<\/p>\n
She said that the suspects were intercepted at the main entrance of the Polytechnic gate while in a motorcade.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe driver of the second car, however, jumped out of the vehicle and escaped,\u201d the institution\u2019s spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Some of the suspects, Omale said, had hard drugs wrapped in a polythene bag, papers cut to sizes supposedly for wrapping of drugs.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne beret cap with a symbol suspected to be that of a cult group was also seen in the car and in possession of the occupants of the two (2) intercepted cars.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn all, the items recovered from the apprehended suspects include two cars, a light green coloured Mercedes Benz Saloon with Reg. Number: EKITI STATE \u201cMUE \u2013 598 \u2013 AE\u201d and a black coloured Toyota Lexus Saloon with Reg. Number from: EBONYI STATE \u201cSKA \u2013 78 \u2013 AE\u201d,<\/p>\n
\u201cOthers were different types of drugs, some naira notes amounting to N14000 naira, beret cap with a symbol suspected to be that of a cult and an MP3 player were handed over to the Nigeria Police at the \u2018B\u2019 Division in Lokoja,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n