A suspected member of the Eiye Confraternity, Oliver Sunday, was arrested with a cut-to-size locally-made gvn and admitted to the Ogun State Police Anti-Cultism Squad that he joined the cult to profit from land-grabbing activities.
Originally from Uzebba, Edo State, and living in Ogijo, Sunday was caught after his 12-year-old son discovered the gun while cleaning and mistook it for scrap metal. The boy, hoping to sell it for food money, took it to a scrap dealer who, upon realizing it was a gun, reported it to the police. Both the boy and his father were detained and transferred to the Anti-Cultism Squad in Abeokuta for further investigation.
Police spokesperson SP Omolola Odutola confirmed the gun, painted blue—associated with the Eiye cult—had been recovered. Sunday’s son explained that he had found the gun under a chair while sweeping and took it to the scrap dealer without realizing it was a weapon.
Sunday admitted to owning the gun, claiming it was given to him by associates involved in land grabbing. His son was unaware of his father’s illegal activities, only knowing that he worked near diesel sales. The boy described his difficult upbringing, stating he had stopped attending school and was training as a mechanic, often relying on his boss for food because his father wasn’t around much.
The boy also shared instances of alleged mistreatment by his father and his desire to stay with a neighbor who had cared for him. Sunday denied these accusations, insisting he looked after his son and did not use hard drugs.
Sunday confessed to joining the Eiye Confraternity for the financial benefits of land-grabbing, introduced to him by a man named Ibaka. He was initiated in the bush at Agbowa, where he received the cult name “Kingfisher” and took part in confrontations at land sites. While admitting ownership of the gun, Sunday denied using a cutlass on his son, attributing the boy’s injuries to a fall from a mango tree.
He concluded by saying he joined the cult specifically to gain from land-grabbing activities, while dismissing accusations of child abuse, suggesting his son was prone to lying.