Kunle ADELABU
A chieftain of the Onyabo Vigilance Group in Ikorodu, Mr Lanre Olabinjo, has alleged that residents of Ikorodu are responsible for the quick return of apprehended cultists from detention to cause further mayhem after their arrest.
He made the revelation during an interview with THE IMPACT recently, stating that the inability of complainants and victims of cultism to ensure thorough prosecution of their cases are responsible for the reason why Magistrates give the suspects lenient sentences which make them come back to town in a short while to cause further disturbances.
“The major problem with the prosecution of apprehended cultists is not the police but members of our community who always abandoned their cases or failed to testify against these suspects in the courts”, he stated.
“You can see and hear many of the residents outside complaining that some of the apprehended cultists came to their houses to rob them but when the matter gets to the police station and they are ask to pursue the matter, you will see them reneging.
“Many of them are not interested in pursuing their cases to logical conclusion but to just retrieve their items.
“In such instances, the police will simply ask them to write an undertaking that they are abandoning their matter and that makes the matter difficult for the police to prosecute”.
According to Olabinjo, it is not as if the police are compromising but it is the people that are letting them release the cult suspects back into the system once they fail to provide credible evidences against them to get them prosecuted.
He appealed that residents should help in sanitizing the system by providing the law enforcement agents necessary support in prosecuting the cult suspects.
“My appeal to our people is that they should always wait and defend their cases in the interest of general good.
“Most times, the judge do fine the police for not doing their investigation very well before bringing suspects to court”.
The Onyabo chieftain also stated that the human rights crusaders’ insistence that these apprehended hoodlums should be released within 24 hours is part of the problem being faced by the police and reason why the hoodlums are returning back to town to unleash severe violence on the people.
“On the police aspect, the human rights department’s insistence that suspects cannot be detained for more than 24 hours usually jeopardizes police prosecution.
“Police need time to investigate and follow leads provided by some of the apprehended suspects to get their kingpins or other suspects but before this could happen, the human rights crusaders are always insisting that they should be released”.
He also cited lesser sentences being handed to the cult suspects by the Magistrates whenever they are arraigned before them as another reason why the cultists return to the community shortly after their arrest. .
“Another challenge is that the Magistrates always give these guys lighter sentences when the matter get to the court. After they are sentenced, before you know it, they are out in a matter of one or two weeks to carry on with their criminal acts.
Olabinjo, who stated that all the controversies within the Onyabo Vigilance group have been settled, also added that, “our members are now well motivated and ready to combat cultism and other crimes that are disturbing our people”, he assured.
