Sentenced by the Ogun State Special Cultism Court in Abeokuta, the state capital, a 22-year-old named Adewale Adenekan, residing at No. 3, Olaoluwa Close, Arigbanla Arigbajo in the Ifo area of the state, has been handed a seven-year prison term for being a member of a secret society.
Adenekan was found guilty on two charges of conspiracy and unlawful society membership, as ruled by the Magistrate, Mr O.L. Oke, who declared the prosecution’s evidence as irrefutable.
Consequently, Adenekan was sentenced to seven years in prison with no option of a fine.
Speaking on the sentence, Oke emphasized the necessity of sending a strong message to deter others from engaging in cult-related activities in Ogun, citing an uptick in such clashes in the region.
Inspector Olaide Rawlings, the prosecutor, detailed that Adenekan’s offense took place on November 6, 2023, in Arigbajo, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun, where he was implicated by his fellow cult members during a clash.
Rawlings divulged that Adenekan confessed to being a member of the Eiye Confraternity, thus violating specific sections of the Prohibition of Forcible Occupation of Landed Property, Armed Robbery, Kidnapping, Cultism, and other Anti-Violence Related Matters Law of 2016.
To address the issue of cult-related conflicts in Sagamu and the resultant fatalities, the Akarigbo and paramount ruler of Remo land, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, along with Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, announced an amnesty arrangement for repentant cultists in the state.
Under this amnesty, 48 members of various cult groups, predominantly Eiye Confraternity and Aiye, have renounced their affiliations and voluntarily surrendered illegal firearms for confiscation by the police.
Alamutu cautioned cultists in the state to take advantage of the amnesty offer as severe consequences await those found engaging in such activities post-amnesty expiration.