Crime

JSS 1 Student, 56 Others Arrested During Cult Initiation In Lagos Forest

Published

7 years ago

February 27, 2018

The police in the Ajah area of Lagos have arrested a Junior Secondary School 1 student, Idris, and dozens of other suspected cultists during an initiation rite inside a bush in Elemoro, around Eleko Beach, Ajah.

Idris, 15, who resides on Arowoyabuna Street in the Orile area of Lagos, was one of 57 suspected cultists paraded by the Lagos State Police Command at its headquarters on Monday.

The teenager had ‘Baba Bose’ tattooed on his chest, which he said was dedicated to his girlfriend called Bose.

Explaining how he got caught with the group, Idris said, “A man in my community bought a drink for me. After we finished drinking, he asked me to follow him to Eleko Beach for a party. When we got there , they covered my face and took me inside a bush. They used an object to pierce my thumb and collected some blood.

“As we were about to leave around 4 am on Thuursday, I heard gunshots and the police arrested us. I have not been told the name of the cult. ”

According to the Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, who paraded the suspects, they were arrested by a combined team of the command.

He said, “Based on credible intelligence that members of the dreaded Aiye Confraternity were performing their initiation rites at a shrine in a thick forest in Abule Egbanu, in the Elemoro, Aja area of Lagos, the Divisional Police Officer, SP Mohammed Limawa, mobilised his men. The DPO received support from the undercover operatives of the Area J, Elemoro, and the men of the Anti – Cultism Unit of the command. Together, they stormed the area and arrested 57 members of the notorious Aiye Confraternity.

“Some of them were not in their right senses at the time of the arrest due to drug overdose . Items recovered from the suspects include two Suzuki mini buses with number plates , LND 893 XV and EPE 189 XV , respectively , one Volkswagen bus , one Mitsubishi space wagon marked , SMK 455 AL , and two Toyota Camry cars with number plates , BD 760 DH and LSD 506 EC.”

Imohimi lamented the rising spate of cultism among the youths and vowed to ensure the prosecution of anyone caught in the act.

Items reportedly recovered from the group include two locally-made cut-to-size guns, three live cartridges and 22 expended cartridges.