Minors Remanded For Cultism In Lagos

An Ikeja Chief Magistrate’s court has charged 12 minors who are students of a Junior Secondary School in Mushin for alleged cultism.

Arraigned before Magistrate B. O. Osunsanmi, the suspects led by a 15-year-old and 11 other students aged between 16 and 17, all pleaded not guilty to three-count charge of conspiracy, membership of gangsters confraternity, and an unlawful society leveled against them.

While addressing the court, Assistant Superintendent of Police Simeon Imohnwa, the prosecutor, said the suspects committed the offence on September 15 which is punishable under Sections, 42, 51 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The prosecutor said the students were arrested after a member of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, LSNC, Mushin, tabled a report to the police that he saw the suspects displaying knives and two cutlasses on their way to attack some students of Igbo-Owu Secondary School, Mushin.

Imohnwa also revealed that the arrested suspects confessed that they belonged to Gangsters Confraternity which has its roots in ghettoes of Mushin.

However, the suspects were granted bail in the sum of N200,000 bail with two sureties in like sum by Chief Magistrate Osunsanmi after the defendants’ counsel, Mr. C. C. Igwe, urged the court to grant them bail in liberal terms, pointing out that they were all minors.

Before adjourning the case till October 25 for trial, Osunsanmi added that one of the sureties must be a blood relation and be gainfully employed and ordered that the suspects be remanded pending the fulfilment of their bail conditions.