The rising wave of gangsterism, cultism and attendant criminalities in Ogun State is unsettling for the economic potential of the state that is fast becoming the home of new industries. AZEEZ OLORUNLOMERU reports that the recent reign of terror in parts of the state has undermined efforts to challenge the menace, calling for a new strategy and concerted efforts of all.

In the last three years, incessant criminal occurrences have placed Ogun State in the category of states with the highest rate of crimes in Nigeria.

Considered one of the most peaceful Southwest states in the past, recent police reports indicated that a total number of 2735 suspects were arrested for various criminal activities, ranging from robbery, kidnapping, rape, rituals, fraudsters, Yahoo+ and others in 2021.

Most recent figures showed that the menace might have doubled in prevalence, though the State Police Command, in collaboration with other security agencies, claimed they are on top of the situation.

In 2023, cult wars, rituals, armed robbery, advanced fee fraud, Yahoo and others claimed so many lives in the state than usual – a period some have described as the annus horribilis for violent deaths in the Gateway State. More worrisome is what 2024 has in the offing, coupled with how the current administration sets out to handle the menace.

Created in 1976, Ogun shares a border with Lagos State to the south, Oyo and Osun states to the north, Ondo State to the east and the Republic of Benin to the west.

Criminals in the state, particularly fraudsters brazenly organise awards for themselves, where prizes are given to the best hacker in the State. The governor, Mr Dapo Abiodun, alluded to this fact recently when he was re-launching the joint state security outfit, named OP-MESA, at the Arcade Ground, Governor’s Office, Abeokuta.

For reasons not unconnected with rituals, criminality in the state range from father killing son and vice versa, father raping daughter, son sleeping with mother; spouse killing one another, kidnappings, and all sorts. For instance, in September 2023, a 20-year-old man identified as Ridwan was arrested by the So-Safe Corps in Ogun State for killing his father for a money ritual.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Motunrayo Adeleye, disclosed that over 200 cases of rape were handled last year. Much more routinely go unreported. About 27 of the reported cases are in court while at least four convictions have been recorded.

Data obtained from the Ogun State Police Command showed that a total of 124 suspected criminals were arrested for various offences between July and October last year.

In July 2023, the State’s Police Command, in collaboration with other security agencies, raided some criminal hideouts, which led to the arrest and the recovery of a significant number of exhibits from various suspects.

In October, a distress call led police teams to the Majestic Royal Hotel in Sagamu, where suspected armed robbers were operating. A gunfight ensued, resulting in two robbers being fatally wounded. One suspect, Elijah Peter Iliasu, aged 27, was arrested with gunshot injuries. Iliasu confessed to the armed robbery and revealed that the group had come from Ibadan in Oyo State to commit the crime.

In another crime, Shuaibu Isa, aged 21, a resident of Ibadan, Oyo State, was arrested by the Divisional Police Officers of Sagamu in August. Isa confessed to stealing a Bajaj motorcycle with registration number “SGM 557 VQ” and revealed a unique modus operandi, often targeting motorcycles during prayer sessions at the central mosque, Ago-Iwoye. He was caught while attempting to sell one of the stolen motorcycles. The case is under investigation.

Officers from the Sango Ota Area Command also stormed the hideouts of criminals in Papalanto, Ewekoro, in September where one Ogunleye Abiodun, aged 27; Oladijo Akeem, aged 31; Ibrahim Mukaila, 25; Mohammed Sanni, 45; and Ali Mohamadu, aged 40 were arrested. The suspects confessed to being part of an armed robbery gang responsible for robbing and dispossessing individuals of their vehicles. Ammunitions were recovered, and the case is still under investigation.

In August, an informant reported that a lady had been lured into an apartment and raped by Idris Adewole, aged 27, of Itun-Iraye Street, Ode-Remo.

Adewole confessed to the crime and disclosed his affiliation with the notorious Supreme Eiye confraternity. Evidence recovered in the case includes a cut-to-size double-barrel shotgun, a live cartridge, and two Samsung phones.

In September, a combined team of police officers and vigilante groups raided suspected criminal hideouts in Sagamu where 16 suspects were arrested in connection with the murder of Keshinro Sunday, aged 45.

Weapons, ammunition, and dangerous charms were recovered. In a related incident, Asaiye Omoloja, known as Asa, was arrested on September 17, 2023, with a cut-to-size locally fabricated pistol and live cartridges. Four men were reportedly killed in Aba-Iya Sunday, Ode-Remo town, in a suspected rivalry between cult groups.

Police reports also indicated a significant crackdown on cultist activities across the state, which resulted in multiple arrests towards the end of the year. Several town-specific operations yielded a high number of suspected cultists arrested, with weapons and charms seized.

While towns in Ogun are ravaged by cultism, the interior villages are least habitable for farmers and residents, given the routine clashes between farmers and herders.

Kidnappings have also increased particularly in Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Wasinmi, Lafenwa –Ayetoro –Imeko Road, Ewekoro, and in Kara – a border community between Ogun and Lagos.

Places like Iperu, Remo, Sagamu, and Ogijo among others are havens for cults and Yahoo boys, while Owode, Otta and the rest harbour mostly armed robbers.

Recently the government of Ogun declared many days of curfew to stem the activities of cult gangs, who almost turned Shagamu, Iperu and Remo into a war zone.

The Akarigbo of Remo, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, while dismissing the activities of cult gangs and ritualists, said diverse cultures and religions have coexisted in Shagamu for a long time, wondering why few elements in the society should disrupt the peace and progress the town had enjoyed in the past.

He said what is happening now is not known to Yoruba culture and that it is also not in the interest of the town. “We have co-existed as brothers and sisters for a long time, it is time for parents and guardians to talk to their wards, and together we shall overcome these trying times.”

Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Sikirulai Ogunlade, blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government for the crime surge across Nigeria, while he said misplaced priority by Governor Abiodun is responsible for the surge in crime in the state.

He added that the police authority needs to improve its intelligence, especially to address terrorism and kidnapping.

But his predecessor in office, also of the opposition party, Adebayo Dayo, said no state governor should be blamed for the crime surge since it’s a national scourge.

He said Governor Abiodun is not in total control of the security agencies and, could hardly be blamed for the near helpless situation.

But to stem the crime rate, he said there is a need to have state police, where governors will take total charge of security in their states.

He also said the Influx of Northern youths to Ogere and Kara in Ogun State is also contributing to the wave of crime in the state.

According to him, “Most of the youths coming from the North have no particular place they are coming to in the South. They just followed articulated vehicles from the North and get discharged at Ogere, Kara, or in Mile 12 in Lagos.

“There is nothing any governor can do about this. It is a national issue that must be addressed.”

Dayo also blamed the crime increase on the high rate of unemployment, which he said must be tackled collectively.

Instead of the blame game, the Chairman Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Ogun State chapter, Dr Samson Popoola, said something must be done to put an end to cult killings.

Popoola noted that campus and community cult rivalries, clashes, and conflicts highlight the reality of the increasing danger of these menaces.

The Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, who spoke through the PPRO, Omolola Odutola, however, said insecurity has reduced drastically and kidnapping also has reduced to its barest minimum.

She said part of the police measures are the present roadblocks to fortified police efforts in ensuring a safe and secure environment in the state. Odutola added that the Command is collaborating with other security agencies in the State to address the menace.

Special Adviser Information, Media, and Strategy to the governor, Kayode Akinmade, said the government is committed to fostering a peaceful and violence-free society with an interest in providing Special Courts and Joint–Cultism Security Task Force with the necessary logistics and tools to support their operations effectively.

He disclosed that the government had pronounced the death penalty for anyone involved in cult activities in the state, adding that the anti-cultism bill would soon be signed into law.

He added that there is a window of opportunity for anyone who wants to renounce cultism and embrace amnesty within the time frame the government has put in place before the bill becomes law.

He said further that incessant cult attacks are traceable to the migration of some hoodlums, who were forced out of Ikorodu and the Ita-Oluwo boundary between Lagos and Ogun state and are now finding a new abode in Sagamu. (The Guardian)

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