Cultist in court for killing gang leader

The Lagos State Police Command has arraigned an alleged cultist, Adeola Adebowale, 34,before the Ebute-Meta Magistrates’ Court, Lagos State, for allegedly killing a former cult leader by binding his hands and legs and throwing him into the lagoon.

PUNCH Metro had reported on June 12, 2015, that the deceased, Godwin Victor, aka Sangba, was abducted by some cultists in the Akoka area of the state.

Sangba was reportedly kidnapped by members of the gang he once led because of his decision to quit the group and embrace normal life.

A police source told our correspondents that the victim was kidnapped by some members of the gang – Anarchy, Rotimi, Lati, Ade and others – who were loyal to late Segun Ogere, aka Shaggy.

Shaggy was killed by suspected cultists while returning from a court, where he was the principal witness, sometime in 2014.

Adebowale was alleged to have been among the people that killed Victor, whose corpse was found on June 11.

The accused was arraigned on two counts of murder.

The charges read in part, “That you, Adeola Adebowale, and others now at large, on June 6, 2015, at about 0100 hours in the Akoka area of Lagos State, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit: murder, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 231 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.”

Inspector C. Adams, who represented the police prosecutor, Sergeant Mariam Dauda, asked that the defendant be remanded in custody for 30 days pending “the time the case file shall be duplicated and forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions”.

But the defence counsel, Spurgeon Ataene, disagreed, saying, “The inability to arrest any other person made the police to bring the defendant to court. 

It is very clear on the remand request before the court that all the questions asked are not in tandem with the procedure for remand. 

They are just make-believes. We implore the court to disregard the application for remand.”

The magistrate, N. A. Layeni, said the defendant should be remanded in custody pending the DPP’s advice

The case was adjourned till September 4, 2015.

PUNCH.