130 cultists surrender arms to police

One hundred and thirty young men and women whom the police in Lagos said were members of various cult gangs operating in Badagry and its environs yesterday voluntarily renounced their membership of the gangs. The development brought to about 1000 suspected members of different confraternities in Lagos who had openly renounced their cult membership in […]

One hundred and thirty young men and women whom the police in Lagos said were members of various cult gangs operating in Badagry and its environs yesterday voluntarily renounced their membership of the gangs.

The development brought to about 1000 suspected members of different confraternities in Lagos who had openly renounced their cult membership in the last six months.

At yesterday’s event, which was held at the Badagry West Local Government secretariat, Ajara, the repentant former cultists, who were mainly members of Eiye and Aiye confraternities, also surrendered their weapons to the Lagos police.

Arms surrendered included AK 47 rifles, pump action guns, locally made double-barrel and single barrel guns, AK 47 ammunition, cartridges and cutlasses.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgar, who was at the event to receive the former cultists, admitted that cultism had become a big problem in Lagos.

Edgal said, “This is a big problem intertwined with drug abuse, to the ridiculous extent that cult leaders have taken it to primary schools and have been recruiting children into cultism.

 “I remember the experience at Ikorodu, where over 250 boys and girls of cult groups renounced and surrendered arms, after which I urged other communities to emulate Ikorodu’s bold step. The command has been able to address this by making strong use of community policing not only with religious or traditional rulers, but also by urging local government leaders to talk to youths in their different communities to relinquish cultism.”

The police chief referred to a recent parade of two suspects at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja, who he said were arrested by the RRS for selling Tramadol, a hard pain killer, to secondary school students. 

 The former cultists promised to turn a new leaf. One of their leaders, Oladapo Babalola, said, “We admit that cultism ate deeper into us. But the Divisional Police Officer of Badagry was able to talk to us, and he encouraged us to shun cultism. We are ready to work if the opportunity comes. We, hereby, offer ourselves to the DPO to enlist us into the police.”