Hyacinth Chinweuba
More than one hundred and thirty-seven persons suspected to be cult members were arrested by the Lagos State Police Command during initiation and marking of their annual ritual day.
Oriental News Nigeria reports that the suspects were arrested while celebrating seven/seven under the guise that they were having a birthday party, at different locations in Ikorodu and Ogombo areas, suburbs of Lagos.
Commissioner of Police Imohimi Edgal while parading the suspects at the Command Headquarters in Ikeja, said the command had last thursday warned cultists preparing to observe their sacred day called the seventh day of the seventh month, not to converge on any part of the state.
The commissioner, said that the command also encouraged good Nigerians to give information about any group of persons anywhere they were seen, saying based on credible intelligence available to the command and which was communicated to the Officer In-Charge, Anti Cultism, one hundred and twenty suspects were arrested at Ikorodu where they were observing the day.
Imohimi, said the suspects were undergoing initiation rites preparatory to unleashing mayhem on the larger society, saying seventeen suspected cult members were also arrested at Ogombo, Aja area of the state during initiation rites and celebration of the date.
According to him, he had ordered that they should be profiled, after which their parents and guardians would be invited for questioning.
Imohimi warned parents as always, guardians and those that had some form of mentorship to dissuade the youths from cultism, saying it was their responsibility to know who their children associate with and that this particular police administration would not tolerate any form of cultism.
He said one big banner with zero, seven and black axe logo, a yellow keg containing three litres of liquid substance and six other small kegs with similar contents suspected to be mixture of different dangerous drugs were recovered from them, saying other exhibits were one big clay pot, one small calabash and one locally-made cut to size pistol.
The police boss who said they were going to be divided into smaller groups where files would be opened for them and they would be charged to court after profiling, listed their names are: Nifemi Fadairo F; Okunlew Habibat F; Musiliu Taiwo F;
Olanike Lasisi F; Sulimon Kabiru F; Olarenwaju Zainab F; Oyedele Elezabeth F; Alima Olowu F; Abosede Popoola F; Ebele Joseph F; Onuwka Uchena 28yrs M; Olawaseyi Elijah 38yrs M; Abayomi Opeyemi 30yrs M; Boluwatife Akionla 18yrs M; Henry Ikuesan 25yrs M; Ibenewa Femi 21yrs M; Muize Onabanjo 21yrs M;
Lawal Mumuni 17yrs M;
Abidemi Caleb 23yrs M;
Adedeji Segun 17yrs M;
Mohammed Ibrahim 31yrs M;
Samuel Olusegun 32yrs M;
Ibrahim Alibaba 30yrs M;
Ezekiel Apanaday 22yrs M’;
Ayodele Ahmed 27yrs M’;
Denis Kingsley 28yrs M’;
Babtunde Ademola 27yrs ‘M’;
Akinpelu Bukola 30yrs F’;
Oladeji Faridat 25yrs F’;
Bilikisu Iliasu 23yrs F’;
Oluwakemi Kolejo 24yrs F’;
Awolesi Sekinatu 23yrs F’;
Jimoh Bidemi 27yrs F’;
Bukola Fatai 23yrs F’;
Saheed Babtunde 26yrs M’;
Sulaiman Onibudo 35yrs M’;
Ayodele Temitope 42yrs M’;
Imeh Wisdom 22yrs M’;
Donald Oiagaa 27yrs M’;
Samson Isaac 32yrs M’;
Dare Ojo 21yrs M’;
Ajibolo Segun 17yrs M’;
Ibrahim Kadiri 14yrs M’;
Oluwaseun Ayinde 42yrs M’;
Olatunji Ibrahim 20yrs M’;
Wasiu Mathew 19yrs M’;
Labade Saheed 23yrs M’;
Jamiu Asiwaju 24yrs M’;
(Jew) Lateef Adewunmi 20yrs F’;
(Ilori) Ilori Olumide 28yrs F’;
Kikelomo Rabiu 23yrs F’;
Rasaki Abibat 18yrs F’;
Abidemi Rasaki 18yrs F’;
Seun Shoremilekun 19yrs F’;
Seri Sadiq F’;
Karimu Adijakuburat 24yrs F’;
Anike Adekoya 28yrs F’;
Ogechi Joseph 18yrs F’;
Bimbo Olorunda 24yrs F’;
Aina Amuda 18yrs F’;
Idowu Ibrahim M’;
Bose Owoeye F’;
Bukumi Ola F’;
Abass Qudri M’;
Idowu Mariam F’;
Iheanyi Benjamin M’;
Oladumi Kemi F’;
Habibat Ishola F’;
Ogar Moday M’;
Adebayo Lateef M’;
Idowupeola Oseni M’;
Wasiu Nurudeen M’;
Sunday Akinyemi 25yrs M’;
Femi Ogundeji 25yrs M’;
Kazeem Oseni 30yrs M’;
Sonny Sodiq 24yrs M’;
Rotimi Ogunyemi 19yrs M’;
Ezekiel Omotosho 18yrs M’;
Opeyemi Joseph 22yrs M’;
Dada Falarunmi 20yrs M’;
Ogini Olatunbosun 30yrs M’;
Lukman Mukaila 37yrs M’;
Egbedokun Ajiboye 40yrs M’;
Ogunkoya Peter 25yrs M’;
Abayomi Omobowale 25yrs M’;
Taiwo Hamzat 25yrs M’;
Olajide Sodiq 30yrs M’;
Meggi Emmanuel 26yrs M’;
Adesanya Sunday 19yrs M’;
Asafa Oluwagbemiga 30yrs M’;
Usman Taoreed 29yrs M’;
Haffez Abudu 23yrs M’;
Kalejaiye Quadri 17yrs M’;
Shittabey Olalekan 17yrs M’;
Victor Chibueze 28yrs M’;
Adesuyi Andrew 22yrs M’;
Fasawe David 26yrs M;
Junior Ochor 17yrs M’;
Abayomi Adeoye 45yrs M’;
Chijioke Elijah 36yrs M’;
Toheeb Oyerinde 17yrs M’;
Olugbode Gbenga 37yrs M’;
Ajijo Oluwadamilare 30yrs M’;
Adio Busayo 28yrs M’;
Dada Olusegun Temitope 38yrs M’;
Akintola Olatunji 31yrs M’;
Odemero Couple 49yrs M’;
Adam Oloko 17yrs M’;
Ogunyemi Sunday 20yrs M’;
Hakeem Ogunmola 23yrs M’;
Aligbe Gabriel 33yrs M’;
Ogunkoya Oyeyemi 29yrs M’;
Asiru Hassan 20yrs M’;
Aina Adesola 18yrs M’;
Oluwafemi Felix 25yrs M’;
Jacob Olawale 23yrs M’;
Owoade Micheal 22yrs M’;
Lamina Olajuwon 23yrs M’;
Agbaje Ridwan 26yrs M’; and
Jamiu Bolaji 32yrs M’.
Recovered from them are the following exhibits:
One big banner 07 with black axe logo; A yellow keg containing 3 liters of liquid substance suspected to be skuchies; Six (6) small kegs containing skuchies; One big clay pot; Two small calabashes; and One locally made cut to size pistol.
Further the commissioner stated that other cultists arrested from Ogombo axis are:
Aro Abisola;
Chukwudi Robeth;
Alex John;
Gbolagade Taofik;
Ahmed Semiu;
Peter Okangbuah;
Yusuf Mudashiru;
Bidemi Odofin;
Lukman Akinjobi;
Temitope Matthew;
Ahmed Ajao;
Biodun Ajao;
Yusuf Taiwo;
Shayo Badejo;
Omotayo Sodik;
Moshood Sulaiman; and
Sikiru Ibrahim.
The lagos State Police boss said that all the suspect will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.