Metro
Court sentences 29-year-old man to death for cultism in Ekiti
The Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday sentenced a 29-year-old man, Gbenga Aluko, to death for cult-related activities.
Police arraigned Aluko for being a member of a prohibited society “Eiye confraternity,” contrary to Section 4 of the Secret Cult (Abolition and Prohibition) First Amendment Law No. 6, Laws of Ekiti State of Nigeria, 2017.
Justice Abiodun Adesodun, who delivered the verdict, said the penalty for the offence committed and established against the accused was death.
He said: “You are hereby sentenced to death by hanging. May the Lord have mercy on your soul.”
The prosecution counsel, Julius Ajibare, had earlier told the court that on January 23, 2019, at Ado Ekiti, the convict was found to be a member of Eiye confraternity.
READ ALSO: Gunmen abduct three in Ekiti
He said the offence was contrary to Section 4 of the Secret Cult (Abolition and Prohibition) First Amendment Law No. 6, Laws of Ekiti State of Nigeria, 2017.
The prosecutor said: “In his confessional statement, Gbenga Aluko, said he and his cult members masterminded the killings of some other cult members, such as Mercy at NOVA Road, Ajagbe and Mugbagba, all in Ado Ekiti.
“He also defrauded people and pretended to be a herb seller as well as a political thug.
“He mentioned members of his gang called Supreme Eiye confraternity as Yemi Effizy, AY Pumping, Wonderful, T Black, Femi, and others.”
He called two witnesses but tendered no exhibit, while the convict who spoke through his counsel, Femi Adetoye, did not call any witness.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...