The suspect, Bright Ogogo, was
arrested alongside his cronies, Sodiq Arolu 19 and Akeem Isiaka 32.
While others were speaking with tears
filled eyes, confessing and regretting their past actions, Ogogo appeared to
look at them with scorn.
The suspects said they were heading
to Badagry, a suburb of Lagos State, to carry out a robbery operation when
policemen on ‘Stop and Search’ duty, arrested them.
The police were said to have carried
out a thorough search of their bags and retrieved two axes, two locally made pistols, three live
cartridges and assorted charms.
While others introduced themselves
as members of Aiye Confraternity,
Ogogo appeared to be angry that people assumed he was also a member of Aiye.
He quickly corrected that notion
with pride ringing in his voice.
His words: “I don’t belong to Aiye Confraternity! I’m only helping
these members of Aiye in their
operations. I belong to the Black Movement of Africa. It’s another cult group
and quite deadlier than Aiye. It was
because Aiye members knew the stuff Black
Movement of Africa members are made off, that they invited me to join them
during operations.”
According to him, he joined the
Black Movement of Africa in December last year after they promised him a job.
Ogogo said: “They promised to secure
a job for me. The cult has members in different fields, across Nigeria. It was
basically because of that I joined them. But after becoming their member, my
situation didn’t change. They didn’t get employment for me. In fact, since I
joined, it has been one operation after another across the country.”
Ogogo, who refused to speak about
his parents and family, said he thought that if he joined the Black Movement of
Africa Cult, they would get a job, so that he could go back to school.
He said he was already targeting the
National Open University of Nigeria. He said he knew he would have to sponsor
himself through his education. He however couldn’t sponsor himself without a
job.
The Lagos State Commissioner of
Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects, said they
were arrested at Oko-Afo, along Badagry Express Way, during a ‘Stop and Search’
by policemen, on July 9, 2016.
Owoseni said: “The suspects were apprehended
on their way to attack a rival cult group at Badagry. During the search of
their bags, two axes, two locally made pistols, three live cartridges and
assorted charms were recovered from them.”
The youngest among the suspects,
Arolu, who said he was a freight forwarder, said he wouldn’t have been arrested
if he had just gone home to be with his mother.
He said: “ I was preparing to visit
my mother at Oko-Afo, to celebrate the Sallah with her, when I received a phone
call from my friend Akeem. Akeem said we would be going for operation that day.
Fortunately, the place of the operation was along my way. We were already on
our way, when we saw policemen. They were on ‘Stop and Search’ duty on the expressway.
They flagged down our commercial bus. All passengers were ordered to step out
of the bus for a search.”
Arolu continued: “Before the
policemen could open the bag of our leader, Afeez, he ran away, leaving the bag
with the policemen. He also left the three of us behind. We couldn’t escape. We
were immediately arrested.”
Recalling how he was initiated into
cultism, finally leading him into becoming an armed robber, Arolu said: “I was
initiated into the cult group last year, by a friend whom I met at a joint
where we used to smoke India hemp, at Ajegunle.”
He further said: “Whenever we meet
at the joint, he always buys me India hemp. Sometimes, I also buy for him. It
was through that way we became friends. One fateful day, he invited me to a
party and I got drunk. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself
in a forest. They beat and gave me something to drink. My clothes
and shoes were torn before I was set free. They told me that I had become their
member from that day.”
The third suspect, Akeem, said, he joined
Aiye Confraternity out of
frustration.
His words: “I was introduced into
the cult group by one Afeez after I lost my job as a cleaner in a bank in
2012. Initially, I was not told by the
group that they were cultists. It took a while before I realised I had been
initiated into Aiye Confraternity. At
that stage, there was no way I could pull out any more.
“I couldn’t pull out because I have dined and
wined with them. They also threatened to kill me if I dared to leave. I didn’t
want to die. Since I joined, I had never killed someone. But I used to follow
them to operations.”
Akeem further lamented: “I regret my
actions. I don’t know how my parents would feel when they see me in a situation
like this. I know they wouldn’t be pleased. My parents should forgive me
because I have brought disgrace upon them. I’m ready to work with the police to
trace and arrest Afeez. I don’t want to die alone because he’s the one leading
us to Badagry.”
1 comment:
May God help dem
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