Suspected cultist dies after threatening to kill policemen who arrested him

A suspected cultist, Chinedu Obi, who threatened to invade a police station with his colleagues and kill those who arrested him, has died, The Nation learnt on Wednesday.

The suspect, according to Ogun State Police Command spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi, died on July 20 at a hospital he was taken to for treatment after he was shot in the leg to restrain him from causing more harm.
Obi was arrested on July 19 by policemen attached to Sango Ota Division for alleged malicious damage, but went berserk during interrogation.

The suspect, it was gathered, suddenly ran out of the statement room, picked an axe and started smashing windscreens of vehicles parked inside the police station.

According to the police, Obi damaged 17 vehicles inside the station and pursued policemen with the axe before he was demobilised.
Oyeyemi said the officer who shot Obi acted in line with Force Order 237 since the suspect was armed with an axe and aggressive.

He refuted claims that the police shot the suspect and allowed him to bleed to death, insisting that Obi was taken to the General Hospital, Ota where he died while receiving treatment.
“The truth of the matter is that the suspect was arrested on July 19 at about 10:30am in connection with a case of assault/ malicious damage. He was taken to Sango Ota Divisional Headquarters for investigation.
“While he was being interrogated, he suddenly went berserk, picked an axe recovered earlier as an exhibit and started chasing policemen at the station.
“He ran out of the interrogation room to where vehicles were parked and used the axe to destroy 17 vehicles. Afterwards, he started chasing the policemen with the aim of using the axe on anyone around.

“It was at that point that an armed officer on duty was left with no alternative but to shoot him in the leg in order to demoblise him. He was then taken to General Hospital, Ota for treatment, but later died while receiving medical attention.

“It is worthy of note that before the suspect went out of his mind, he had made statements to the police and it was established that he was a renowned cultist who had been terrorising Ijoko Ota and its environs before the incident that led to his arrest,” said Oyeyemi.