Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo has expressed concerns over the rising cases of ritual killings and other crimes in the State, charging security agents to step up their plans to nab the perpetrators.
Ogun, once rated as one of the most peaceful States in Nigeria, is now enmeshed in different forms of crimes, ranging from cultism, kidnapping, banditry, farmers-herders clashes, armed robbery, land grabbing and others.
Lately, residents of the State started living in fear over the repeated cases of ritual killing.
Between January and February 2022, there were no fewer than three incidents of persons caught with human parts across the State.
The beheading of a girl, Sofiat Okeowo by his boyfriends, Mustakeem Balogun and Soliu Majekodunmi, in Abeokuta, was still fresh in the minds of Nigerians, when a couple were arrested at Leme for killing a woman and selling her head at the cost of N70,000.
Reacting to the incidents, Speaker Oluomo condemned the rise in ritual killings, cultism and others, blaming the deviant behaviours on drug abuse.
Oluomo urged law enforcement agents in the State to avoid what he called “the illegal reduction of charges” against crime suspects while preparing their charges.
This, according to him, had been hindering effective justice dispensation, saying that “it leads to upsurge in criminal activities as the culprits would be left with lesser punishment.”
The Speaker charged the security agents to step up plans towards improving on their investigative activities to arrest and ensure immediate prosecution of suspects.
He noted the need to follow to the letter, the provisions of the State Land Grabbing/Anti-kidnapping Law, 2016, to reduce crimes and criminality in the State.
The lawmaker, who spoke while addressing members of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), during a sensitization/advocacy visit to the State Assembly, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, said the restoration of sanity in the society is a collective responsibility.
He advocated that all agents of socialization, including traditional worshipers must be engaged, regretting that criminal elements were now abusing the age-long traditions.
Oluomo saw the need for the Ninth Assembly to amend necessary sections of the law and other relevant legislation to reflect the emerging realities in the society.
Earlier, Comrade Yinka Folarin, who led the campaign, expressed worries over cases of kidnapping, ritual killings, drug abuse, cultism, internet fraud and other social vices, even in schools and within the State, explaining that the visit was to engage necessary arms of government and other stakeholders towards checkmating crimes and criminality in the State.
