Lagos – An Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos State, on Friday ordered the continuous remand of 13 cultists arraigned for alleged murder and belonging to secret cult.
Chief Magistrate B.O. Ope-Agbe gave the order when she was not satisfied with the advice from the Director of the Public Prosecutions (DPP) which exonerated them of all the six count charges levelled against them.
Ope-Agbe demanded that the DPP should make clear and precise in its legal advice, if truly it had found that the accused were wrongly accused of the charges preferred against them.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 13 alleged cultists were first arraigned on Nov. 18, 2015 for allegedly terrorising the public and the murder of two men before dumping their corpses in a river.
The accused were brought before Chief Magistrate Ope-Agbe, who had ordered their remand at the Ikoyi Prisons, pending legal advice from the DPP.
The accused are: Ismail Bello, 26; Shola Jaiyeola, 28; Kabiru Wahab, 23; Akeem Adeyemo, 36; Monsuru Ojopagogon, 29; David Lasisi, 35; Bayo Bakare, 30.
Others include Daniel Yosuf, 30; Ademola Ayelabowo, 27; Joshua Udoh, 20; Daniel Adeyemi, 28; Saheed Mohammed, 25; and Wasiu Aborisade, 40.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Jimah Iseghede, had told the court that the offences were committed on Sept. 27, 2015 at about 21.00 pm at Maidan Junction, Mile 12.
Iseghede said that the accused, who are members of the dreaded Eye confraternity and Federal Boys cult, both unlawful societies, were fond of terrorising the public and dispossessing them of their valuables.
He also said that the accused were found in possession of dangerous weapons such as jack knife, cutlasses and machete, which they allegedly used in stabbing one Olalekan Olatoye on the abdomen and slitting the throat of one Babatunde Rilwan, while he was held down by some members.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
He said that Mohammed and Adeyemi were alleged to have killed one Tunde and Okesola Yusuf by stabbing them before dumping their bodies into the Mende River in Mile 12.
The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 42, 221, 228, 243 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The pleas of the accused were however not taken at the hearing. (NAN)