More than 137 persons suspected to be cult members were arrested by the Lagos State Police Command during initiation and marking of their annual ritual day.
According to the state police boss, the suspects were arrested while celebrating seven/seven under the guise that they were having a birthday party, at different locations in Ikorodu and Ogombo areas, suburbs of Lagos.
Imohimi Edgal while parading the suspects at the Command Headquarters in Ikeja, said the command had last Thursday warned cultists preparing to observe their sacred day called the seventh day of the seventh month, not to converge on any part of the state.
The commissioner, said that the command also encouraged good Nigerians to give information about any group of persons anywhere they were seen, saying based on credible intelligence available to the command and which was communicated to the Officer In-Charge, Anti Cultism, one hundred and twenty suspects were arrested at Ikorodu where they were observing the day.
Imohimi, said the suspects were undergoing initiation rites preparatory to unleashing mayhem on the larger society, saying seventeen suspected cult members were also arrested at Ogombo, Aja area of the state during initiation rites and celebration of the date.
According to him, he had ordered that they should be profiled, after which their parents and guardians would be invited for questioning.
Imohimi warned parents as always, guardians and those that had some form of mentorship to dissuade the youths from cultism, saying it was their responsibility to know who their children associate with and that this particular police administration would not tolerate any form of cultism.
He said one big banner with zero, seven and black axe logo, a yellow keg containing three litres of liquid substance and six other small kegs with similar contents suspected to be mixture of different dangerous drugs were recovered from them, saying other exhibits were one big clay pot, one small calabash and one locally-made cut to size pistol.
The police boss who said they were going to be divided into smaller groups and files would be opened for them would then be charged to court after profiling.
Recovered from them are one big banner 07 with black axe logo, a yellow keg containing 3 liters of liquid substance suspected to be skuchies; Six (6) small kegs containing skuchies, one big clay pot, two small calabashes and one locally made cut to size pistol.
Further the commissioner stated that other cultists were also arrested in Ogombo axis.
Imohimi said that all the suspecst will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.
