Six suspected cultists have been arrested for gang raping three female students in Agarawu, around Lagos Island in Lagos state.
The arrest was made by men of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps.
The suspects allegedly forced the 3 girls to follow them to their hideout, to be initiated into the Eiye Confraternity.
One of the victims, Maryam, said “Dare came to meet me in school with a gun that I should follow him to Agarawu. He said his members were going to initiate me or else he would kill me.
When we got there, they formed a circle and asked me to kneel down in their midst. They tied my face and sprinkled some things on my body. They asked me to undress and raped me countless times for four days.”
Suspects confess
The 6 suspects as: Laguda Kamal, Muyideen Aigoro, Kayode Damilare, Quadri Ajayi, Idoogun Yinusa and Yinka Adewuyi.
Kamal and Quadri reportedly confessed to having fun with the girls, but denied raping them.
Meanwhile, their friend, Damilare denied raping the girls, but said that he witnessed when Wakilu and Yinka gang-raped Maryam.
Cultists graduate to kidnappers
Speaking on the arrest, the Chairman of the Neighbourhood Corps, Israel Ajao said “One of the victims was held for four days. The cat was let out of the bag by a neighbour who reported the matter to the operatives after an alarm by the victim’s mother.
“The corps has been working tirelessly in conjunction with the police, adopting both overt and covert strategies, to ensure that criminals do not have a place in Lagos State.”
From cultism they graduate to kidnapping, rape and other heinous crimes, and that is why we have changed our strategy to focus on cultism.
“We will begin to visit schools to sensitise principals to the need to be conscious of the activities of their pupils,” he added.
Recently, a student of the College of Health Technology,Ijero-Ekiti in Ekiti State, Busayo Kayode, was arrested by the police for allegedly setting up her close friend to be raped by 10 cultists in the school.