Tag Archives: cultism

LASG Sensitizes School Children On Dangers Of Cultism.

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In a bid curb crime and other cult related activities in the State, the Lagos State Government, LASG, has called on parents, teachers, media, religious institutions and the society at large to come together and address the increasing menace of cultism among school children.

 

This call was made by the Tutor General/Permanent Secretary of Education District IV, Mrs. Lola Are-Adegbite during the kick-off of series of sensitization programmes on the dangers of cultism organised for secondary school students by the Ministry of Youth and Social Department School Social Services Department.

 

The Permanent Secretary, who spoke at Education District IV New Era Girl’s Secondary School, Surulere, Lagos, revealed that cultism could be curbed through inculcation of right ethical standards from parents and value re- orientation of youths, especially teenagers. She stressed that children must have good peer groups and be wary of the bad influencers in order to build good, acceptable and Godly characters.

 

Are-Adegbite opined that establishing an ‘anti-cult club’ for those who will boldly say “NO” to cultism in schools would also be of immense advantage in the drive to nip the menace in the bud.

 

In her words, “organizing skills acquisition training for youth (which the State Government is already doing) in order to inculcate the spirit of self-esteem and reliance in them would also help in curbing the menace of cultism among school children just as the popular saying goes that an idle hand is the devil’s workshop.”

Kwara High Court Jails Student 10 Years for Cultism

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A Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin and presided over by Justice Sikiru Oyinloye, has sentenced a student of Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Fatai Olasile, to ten years’ imprisonment and a fine of N50, 000 for membership of a secret cult and involvement in cult-related activities in the state.

Olasile was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on membership of Eiye secret cult, contrary to section 2 of Secret Cult and Secret Societies Law of Kwara State.

He was also sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of a locally made pistol punishable under section 3 (1) of the Robbery and Firearms Act, 2004.

The prosecution, led by Barrister Kamaldeen Ajibade, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, called three witnesses and tendered exhibits to prove its case.

Another person identified as Mohammed Kehinde and two others were also arraigned on a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, initiation of new members to secret cult and membership of the secret cult.

After a careful analysis of the case and the evidence presented by the prosecution, led by Barrister Ajibade, Justice Oyinloye found the first and second accused persons guilty and sentenced them to 10 years’ imprisonment each with a fine of N50, 000. The third accused person was however discharged and acquitted of the said offences.

Also, on 3 November, 2016, a middle aged man, Rasheed Abiola and one other were also arraigned before Justice I. A. Yusuf of the Kwara State High court on a two-count charge of membership of secret cult and illegal possession of firearms.

Justice Yusuf found the first accused person guilty of count two of the offences of dealing with illegal possession of firearms and sentenced him to four years’ imprisonment and discharged him of the second offence of cultism.

The second accused person was, however, discharged and acquitted of count one and two of the alleged offences.
Commenting on the outcome of the cases, Barrister Ajibade applauded the judgments and emphasized the Ahmed administration’s zero tolerance to cultism due to its negative impact on youths and the society at large.

He stressed that the government will continue to employ all lawful means to stamp out cultism and other related crimes in the state.

Four Awawa Boys Arrested In Dopemu axis of Agege.

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The Dopemu Division of the Lagos State Police Command has arrested four cultists suspected to be members of the Awawa Boys terrorizing the Agege community. The suspects; Sherif Nahim, Platelet Ismail, Jamiu Amusa and Abel Babatunde, were arrested by the anti-crime operatives in a building on Abeje Street, Agege.

 

According to Police, the suspects were apprehended following a distress call that some suspected cultists belonging to the Awawa group were on rampage along Kadiri area of Agege. The source added that the suspects were arrested wielding dangerous weapons while some of them also sustained various injuries.

 

Commenting on the arrest, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmus, said “the Commissioner of Police has directed that the suspects be transferred to SARS and be given medical care while discreet investigation should be done to also apprehend fleeing suspects.”

 

Speaking further, she said “the suspects will be charged to court at the conclusion of investigation. The Commissioner had warned hoodlums to keep away from the State as the command would no longer tolerate any act of impunity and recklessness under any guise including cultism.”

Cultism, kidnapping no longer tolerated in Lagos – Ambode

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The Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday said the menace of cultism and kidnapping currently sending jitters down the spine of many Lagos residents will no longer be tolerated in the state.

Ambode who said this while commissioning the newly constructed Omo Alade Alafia and Oloruntoyin/Jebina Streets in Bariga Local Council Development Area, charged community leaders in all the 57 Local Government and Local Council Development Area to report known cultists, kidnappers and other criminals in their domains.

The governor emphasized that exposing the criminals remained the only effective means of curbing crimes in the state.

Ambode added that apart from aggressively embarking on infrastructural renewal across the state, his administration would also do everything possible to protect lives and property.

He said the state government was determined to make the state uncomfortable for the cultists, kidnappers and other criminals.

The governor, who was represented by a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Rotimi Abiru and a community leader, Mr. Raphael Olusegun Ajayi, said that timely report of kidnapping, cultism, vandalism and hoodlums will help in dealing with criminal activities in the state.

The governor said: “I enjoin our royal fathers, traditional chiefs, Community Development Associations, market men and women and other stakeholders in our various communities to address the menace of cultism, kidnapping, miscreants, vandalism and hoodlums by providing timely information to our security agencies.”

Ambode who urged the community leaders to take ownership of the facilities, said that plans were afoot to embark on another round of 114 roads project in all the councils in the state.

According to the governor, it was illegal for anyone to sell on the road or engage in unauthorised breaking of roads, adding that it was also forbidden for anyone to convert the roads to automobile workshop, as well as refuse dump site.

Police Arrest 252 Cultists In Delta

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Commissioner of police in-charge of Delta State, Alkali Baba Usman said over 252 cultists have been arrested since the beginning of this year and majority of them have been prosecuted and convicted.

 

Aside the incessant criminal activities of cultists in major areas of the state, the commissioner of police is also saddled with the onerous task of checkmating the nefarious activities of not just other criminals but, the recent uprising amongst some agitators for the creation of sovereign state of Biafra.
From all indications, he has lived up to expectations and is poised for an onslaught against all forms of crime and criminality in the state.

 

Speaking in Asaba, he said, “we have taken the war against cultism to their camps. We have had diligent clamp down on cults in different locations.”
In Oghara, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad raided cult hide outs and arrested 48 members. At Agbor, another cult hot-bed, about 9 cultists were arraigned recently and are facing the wrath of the law. At Jesse, about 13 members of Sparrows Junior Eye, SJE, were arraigned in July, 2015.

More so, at Ibusa, cult members engaged a SARS team, threw stones at their Hilux van and damaged the back and front windscreen. At the end, two of them were nabbed. As a follow up, the command monitored and arrested 33 male and 2 female members of Supreme Vikings confraternity also at Ibusa. At Okwe, we nabbed 9 suspected Aiye 1977 A.S,H. Dodorima cultists during their meeting.
On the whole, over 252 cultists have been arrested since the beginning of this year and majority of them have been prosecuted and convicted. We also succeeded in dealing with several cult-related killings. For instance, last September at Obiaruku, one Ife Akachukwu, 21, was shot by rival cultists while another unidentified boy was found dead after sporadic gunshots by rival cultists groups.
At the same Obiaruku, one Albert Onukaba, 28, was killed by suspected cultists. The three incidents showed that rival cultists were on a vengeance mission.

At Kwale, the story is the same. One Ifinwa Analuwe, 20 was stabbed to death by suspected rival cultists while in another incident, the acting chairman of Uvwie LGA, Chief Stella Otiotio was attacked by armed irate Uwvie youths suspected to be cultists when she ran into them while collecting illegal tolls and levies from unsuspecting members of the public. In addition, we arrested six suspected Aiye cultists in Warri,” he said.
“We will not relent in our fight against cultism. In this regard, we appreciate the cooperation of well-meaning individuals and stakeholders in the state for quality information which has helped in stemming cult tide in the state. I would also appreciate security agencies and the local community vigilante groups for their various efforts at curtailing cultism and other violent crimes in the state.”
“I must add that the motivation and encouragement from the IGP and AIG Zone 5 cannot be overemphasized. Of particular note is the interactive session on Police Community Partnership in crime Prevention and Control for Credible Youths held recently in Asaba by the AIG Zone 5,” he said.

 

 

Credit : Vanguard

14 JSS Students Arrested For Cultism In Edo

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No fewer than 14 Junior Secondary School, JSS, students have been arrested by the Police in Edo State over alleged involvement in cult-related activities in Benin.

Vanguard gathered that the students, whose ages ranged from 12 to 15 years, were said to have been picked by policemen at Oguola Secondary School, along St. Saviour Road in the state capital and were being screened at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Police headquarters, Benin.

Principal of the school, Mr. Ehanire Reuben, said eight of the students were allegedly arrested in the school compound, adding that their arrest prompted the police to conduct a search on some students in the classrooms. He, however, said prior to the arrest, he learned that a student teacher in the school was attacked and his phone and wallets taken from him by some students, who also attacked residents in the area.

He pleaded with police to release those found to be innocent. Edo State Police Command spokesman, Mr. Innocent Onwochie, in his reaction to the development, said the arrest was made following a tip-off, adding that those arrested were under-aged. He said investigations on the issue had been stepped up, promising that the police would leave no stone unturned in its war against cultism and other criminal activities in the state.

Credit: vanguardngr

Cultism : I Paid N35,000 To Join Cult Group – Suspect

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A 31-year-old suspected cultist, Ikechinachi Chinyere, has said he paid the sum of N35,000 to join a cult group in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, because of the harassment and intimidation he was facing from cultists in the area he lived.

Chinyere made the revelation yesterday while speaking to newsmen at the headquarters of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Rivers State Police Command, where he was paraded along with 91 other suspected cultists and five suspected armed robbers.

He said, “I have been facing intimidation at where I live, so in December 2014, I met one of them to teach me their orientation so the boy said I will pay him money before he will teach me their orientation so that they will not be intimidating me again.

“So I gave him N35,000. Last week Tuesday (March 17, 2015), I was in my house at Rumuobiakani when the police came and arrested me. I am not a thief; I don’t fight; I don’t take alcohol. The problem is that if I go to them (cultists), they will excuse me because I don’t know all their orientation.”

Also speaking, another suspected cultist, and a 300-level Accountancy student of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt, Chika Rex Evans, admitted being a member of the Vikings Fraternity.

Evans said, “I was arrested at my school matriculation party. I was with my friends during my school matriculation party and when we heard police siren; we started running so the police chased us and arrested us.”

Also paraded was the leader of the five-man armed robbery gang, Daniel Samuel, who admitted being an armed robber, explaining that in the operation in which he was arrested, they were sent by a brother to the victim.

Samuel said, “I dropped out of Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri, in Port Harcourt. I cannot say I am using it to help my family. I have something I am doing so when this man called us and provided the items for us, we went for the operation.

“Somebody (name withheld) told us to come and meet him at Uyo; when we got there he said his elder brother refused to give him money and that his elder brother was bringing money to his house and that we should collect the money and give him his own share. It was on our way back that police arrested us at Akpajo junction.”

Briefing newsmen earlier, police spokesman in the state, Ahmad Muhammad, said the armed robbery suspects were arrested at Akpajo Junction, along the East-West Road, in Rivers State, while on their way back from Uyo after robbing one Akpan Usen Bassey of about N1.6million.

Muhammad stated that other items recovered from the gang included a Sienna bus with registration number RH399CH, one locally made revolver, one live cartridge, 17 assorted cell phones, and an international passport belonging to the victim.