The Ogun State Police Command has arrested three secondary school students, including a 12-year-old boy, over a suspected cult initiation in Owode-Yewa, Yewa South Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects, aged 12, 18 and 18, were arrested following intelligence reports about a planned cult-related gathering tagged “Kito Day”, which was expected to involve students from different secondary schools in the area.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

Babaseyi said the Divisional Police Officer in Owode-Yewa received the intelligence on Thursday and immediately deployed detectives, working alongside members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, to the location.

The operation led to the arrest of the three students, while other suspected participants reportedly fled the scene.

Items recovered during the operation included an English axe, two knives, a short cutlass, a rubber toy gun and a school bag.

The police spokesperson said the case would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation and possible prosecution.

The arrest comes amid concerns over the involvement of secondary school students in cult-related activities in Ogun State.

Earlier in the week, operatives of the police Special Weapons and Tactics unit arrested a 30-year-old suspected cultist, Idris Obarayi, in Abeokuta following reports of gunfire in the Oke Ago-Owu area. A locally made pistol was reportedly recovered during the operation.

Meanwhile, the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices has continued its sensitisation efforts in schools to discourage young people from joining cult groups.

The police urged parents, guardians and school authorities to monitor students’ activities and report suspicious gatherings to security agencies.

The command said the investigation into the suspected initiation was ongoing.