The alleged cultists were arrested following a report lodged at Ajuwon Police Divisional Headquarters by the mother of the victim.

The police in Ogun said they have arrested three suspected members of the dreaded "Eiye Confraternity", who forcefully initiated a young girl into their cult after gang-raping her.

The police spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement on Sunday in Ota, Ogun, said the suspects were arrested on June 30 in the Ajuwon area of the state.

Mr Oyeyemi gave the names of the suspects as Daniel Njoku (a.k.a Agege), Damilare Ogundiran and Adebayo Olamilekan.

He explained further that they were arrested following a report lodged at Ajuwon Police Divisional Headquarters by the mother of the victim.

According to the victim's mother, she sent her 15-year-old daughter on an errand in the Akute Odo area but was allegedly waylaid by Daniel Njoku.

And Njoku forcefully took her to his gang at their hideout where the young girl was gang-raped, beaten and forcefully initiated into the Eiye cult group.

The complainant further explained that her daughter was threatened by the suspects and that she would be killed if she dared inform anybody about the incident.

"Upon the report, the Divisional Police Officer, Ajuwon Division, SP Andrew Akinseye, detailed his detectives to go after the hoodlums.

"The team, acting on credible intelligence, located the hideout of the group at Akute Odo area, stormed the place and succeeded in arresting three members of the gang.

"They confessed to the commission of the crime and informed the police that they were desperately looking for more members to join their group, especially female members, and this prompted them to do what they did," he said.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the anti-cult section of the state Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation.

(NAN)