Crime & Court
Alleged Cult Initiation : Oyo police arrest 10 students, 3 others
At least 13 suspected cultists, comprising 10 students of tertiary institutions, bricklayer, one trailer motorboy and a marijuana seller were arrested by the Oyo State Police
Command during initiation of new members in Saki, Oke-Ogun axis of the state.
The cultists were among the 30 suspects paraded on Thursday by the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Shina Olukolu, at Eleyele, Ibadan, the state capital.
Items recovered from the suspects include 3, 519 ammunition, two arms, 24 bags of corn, 20 telephone handsets, two cutlasses, three knives, one sledge hammer, and weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, and foreign currency among others.
According to the state Commissioner of Police, the names of the suspected cultists are Aremu Ayodele, 21, of Computer Science National Diploma II, The Polytechnic Ibadan; Adebayo Emmanuel, 23, of Political Science Department, University of Ibadan; Precious Ebuka, 21, of Agricultural Economic Department, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State; and Busari Hammed, 27, of Business Administration Department, National Open University (NOUN).
Six purported students of Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, namely Raheem Jamiu, 21, of Accountancy ND II; Adeniran Oluwasegun, 21, of Business Administration ND II; Olatunji Kehinde, 22, of Public Administration, HND I; Akinola Tola, 23, of Accountancy HND I; Kolapo Israel, 21, of Public Administration HND II; and Koleoso Samson, 23, of Agricultural Engineering, ND II.
Also, Yekini Kazeem, 23, alleged dealer on trailer parts and weeds; Oyesoro Damilola, 25, a trailer motorboy; and Sanusi Mutiu, 23, who is said to be a bricklayer were among the three non-students.
During the parade, the state Commissioner of Polices explained, “On May 1, 2019, at about 17:30hours, information was received at Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operational base, Saki that some members of a notorious secret confraternity, who have been inflicting various acts of violence and nefarious criminal activities on members of the public in Saki town and other areas in Oke Ogun axis of Oyo State, were sighted in their hideout beside Nighles Hotel in Saki.
“They had gathered to initiate new members into the secret confraternity. Based on this credible information, a team of SARS operatives headed by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Olusola Aremu, was quickly drafted to the area and in the process, 10 members of the cult group, who confessed to be members of Eiye Confraternity were arrested. Three other members of the group who managed to escape were later arrested in Ibadan.”
One of the suspects, Olatunji Kehinde, confessed further, “I am a cultist. We were having a meeting when we were arrested. It is not true that we wanted to do initiation when we were arrested because everybody at the meeting was already initiated. We all belong to Eiye Confraternity. I joined the group last year.”
Items recovered from the suspected cultists included one Jack knife, one live cartridge, two black caps, criminal charms and weeds suspected to be Indian hemp.
The Police Chief in the state said investigation was still ongoing to arrest other fleeing members of the group.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared Yahaya Bello wanted for an alleged financial crime to the tune of N80.2 billion,” Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency announced.
“Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, is wanted by the EFCC for offences relating to economic and financial crimes to the tune of N80.2 Billion,” the EFCC stated in a Thursday evening Facebook post titled ‘Ex-Gov Yahaya Bello Wanted By the EFCC.’
“Anybody with information as to his whereabouts should report immediately to the Commission or the nearest police Station,” the statement continued.
This declaration follows the absence of the chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Federal High Court in Abuja earlier in the day for a suit instituted against him by the EFCC.
Consequently, Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the suit and called for substituted service and the possible arraignment of Bello for alleged money laundering.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a Delhi-bound passenger, Freeman Charles Ogbonna, at the screening point of terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.
Ogbonna was detained for ingesting 80 wraps of cocaine.
The arrest took place on Sunday, March 31, 2024, as Ogbonna attempted to board a flight to Delhi, India via Doha on Qatar Airways.
He was in possession of a Liberian international passport under the name Carr Bismark.
According to NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the suspect underwent a body scan which detected the presence of illicit drugs. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Ogbonna’s real identity was Freeman Charles Ogbonna.
He was then placed under NDLEA observation, where he began to exhibit signs of discomfort.
“Obviously choked by the volume of illicit drugs in his stomach and another substance taken to hold back excretion, the suspect soon began to retch before starting to vomit and excrete wraps of cocaine he ingested almost simultaneously,” Babafemi stated.
“Over four days, Ogbonna expelled a total of 80 wraps of cocaine weighing 889 grams through his mouth and anus. Despite the grave risk to his life, Ogbonna claimed he was coerced into drug trafficking by a relative. He confessed that he was given the drugs to swallow at a hotel in the Ipodo area of Ikeja, with a promise of a cash reward of N300,000 upon successful delivery of the consignment in India”.
The NDLEA has since detained Ogbonna as investigations continue into the drug trafficking operation.
The Federal High Court in Lagos has set April 9, 2024, as the date to sentence the controversial cross-dresser and social media sensation, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky.
This decision came after Bobrisky pleaded guilty to a four-count charge of Naira abuse brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Abimbola Awogboro, who presided over the case, reserved the date for the sentencing.
The courtroom proceedings commenced promptly at 11:55 am, with Mr. Sulaiman Sulaiman representing the EFCC, and Mr. Ayo Olumofin appearing for the defendant.
During the session, Justice Awogboro directed Bobrisky to uncover his face, previously obscured by a black hijab, which he complied with.
The EFCC initially filed a six-count charge against Bobrisky, but the prosecutor, Sulaiman, requested the court to strike out counts five and six due to an agreement reached with the defendant.
Justice Awogboro granted the request, leaving counts one to four for consideration.
Bobrisky pleaded guilty to each of the four counts, confirming his understanding of the charges brought against him.
The EFCC prosecutor proceeded to present the case’s facts, calling an EFCC Assistant Superintendent, Mr. Bolaji Temitope, as a witness. Temitope outlined how the EFCC became aware of Bobrisky’s actions through intelligence gathering and surveillance of social media activities.
The witness testified to several instances where Bobrisky was observed spraying Naira notes during events, supported by video evidence which was admitted by the court as exhibits.
In a bench ruling, Justice Awogboro convicted Bobrisky as charged, despite his plea for mercy and assertion of ignorance of the law.
Bobrisky, expressing remorse, requested a second chance to educate his followers on the consequences of Naira abuse, citing his substantial social media influence.
His legal counsel urged the court to consider a non-custodial sentence and an option of a fine, highlighting Bobrisky’s commitment to reform.
Sentencing has been adjourned till April 9, with Bobrisky facing the possibility of six months imprisonment, a fine of N50,000, or both, in accordance with Section 21(1) of the CBN Act 2007.
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