The Ogun Government is set to enact a law that will pronounce the death penalty on anyone caught engaging in cult activities in the state.
State governor, Dapo Abiodun, made this known on Tuesday at a meeting with the Paramount Ruler of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, at the Akarigbo Palace in the Sagamu area of the state.
Abiodun expressed shock over the wanton destruction of lives and peace of Sagamu and its environs, warning that the government would not fold its arms and watch unscrupulous persons run riots in any part of the state.
“We will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we bring any person directly, indirectly or remotely responsible for these occurrences to book. I have discussed with the Attorney General that our disposition allows for these occurrences of heinous crimes,” he said.
“It is well within my powers as the governor of this state to pronounce the death penalty on people and we are going to ensure that we enact that because when people appreciate and understand the consequences of their behaviours, perhaps they will begin to have a rethink.
“I have called on the Commissioner of Police, the Director of the State Service (DSS), the Commander of the Civil Defence, our Amotekun Commander and all our security architecture to relocate to Sagamu for this purpose.
“We will rely on our kabiyesis because they are the closest to the grassroots, for all the intelligence support because these people are not spirits. They live within us, they are tenants in our houses.
“The last time I came here, I said any house that we arrest anybody that is connected to either cultism or kidnapping, we will find out where they live and demolish that house. Sadly, it has been very difficult for me to implement because they rent an apartment and the unsuspecting landlords who don’t know what they do give their houses to them after we arrest them and about to demolish the house, those landlords will come and beg us that they did not know the suspects were into that business.
“I am now pronouncing that we will no longer refer to these people as cultists or any other name. We are pronouncing them as murderers and we will mete out punishments that are deserving to murderers,” he warned.
The governor said that henceforth, he would not entertain any sentiment from any quarter as the activities of the hoodlums were capable of sabotaging government efforts to bring more development to the state.
