Some youths at Imota area of Lagos State surrendered their arms and renounced cultism, they were seen smoking Indian hemp to celebrate their cultism renunciation on Wednesday.
The act was observed newsmen shortly after the state Acting Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, addressed the press in company with the two former leaders of the Eye and Aiye confraternities.
The renunciation was held at the palace of Ranodu of Imota, Oba Ajibade Bakare-Agoro, and was presided over by Imohimi, who displayed guns, cutlasses and axes recovered from the residents.
The youths moved around the community, displaying banners with the inscriptions, ‘Say no to crime, drug abuse and cultism’ and ‘Say no to crime, r*pe, stealing and cultism.’
The two groups also chanted their respective fraternal songs and exchanged occult pleasantries after the renunciation.
Earlier, while speaking to journalists, Imohimi said the renunciation was the outcome of the state police command’s emphasis on community policing.
He recalled that a similar event was held at Ijede, Ikorodu recently, where about 500 persons renounced cultism, urging other communities in the state to follow suit.
The CP said, “Over 120 youths have voluntarily renounced cultism and handed over their weapons to the police. The significant thing about this process is not the number of those renouncing cultism or the quantity of arms they tendered. What is most significant is that a process has started, whereby the youths themselves are now indicating interest not only to renounce cultism and other forms of crime, but also to take up vocational jobs and be integrated back into the society as responsible men and women. Their profiles will be taken and rest assured that this process is credible.
“Another thing is that this was powered by the Oba of Imota, which shows that our strategy of community policing and community safety partnership is working and yielding desired results. Monarchs, chiefs and senior citizens of communities have a strong role to play in their various communities. They should use their positions to call on youths to renounce cultism, drug abuse and other crimes.”
The ex-leader of the Aye Confraternity, Joseph Fasasi, said they decided to turn a new leaf following entreaties by the monarch and other community leaders.
He promised that the two groups would henceforth maintain peace in the neighbourhood.
He said, “My parents are from this community and we don’t want fights any more. If we continue to fight, peace will not reign. Residents are leaving the community. Tenancy is cheap because people are afraid to live here. That was why we called one another and decided to let peace reign.”
A former top member of Eye Confraternity, Prince Bolatito, who spoke for the leader of the group, popularly called Spirit, said, “We (Eye and Aye members) have started going to pubs together. There is no more violence. We will hand over whoever refuses to shun violence to the police.”
The Oba of Imota, Bakare-Agoro, said the youths swore at an ancestral shrine in the community not to return to their old habits, adding that whoever failed to keep to the oath would die.
He said, “I feel elated today. There is no year in the last seven years that they would not kill one another. The police would come to arrest some of them, but the kingpins would run away. This process (renunciation) started over a month ago. I consulted with them in privacy in the palace.
“They will not go back to cultism because they have been to the traditional shrine where the first Oba of Imota once lived. We asked them to swear that if they returned, they would die within three days. I have advised them that there is nothing in crime. For all those who are running around because somebody wants to kill them, if the fight ceases, they will be able to go back to work and live productively.”
The Chairman, Imota Local Council Development Area, Wasiu Kunle-Agoro, said the council, the state government and political office holders from the community would work together to engage the youths in lawful activities.
He said, “We have made a plan where some of these members will be absorbed into vocational jobs. We want them to be gainfully employed so that idle hands will no longer be tolerated. They are tired of the activities of their groups and came out voluntarily to renounce their membership.”
A member of the Lagos House of Assembly representing Ikorodu Constituency II, Nurudeen Solaja, urged the residents to sustain the friendship shown during the event.
“We have made provisions for vocations such as computer training for them. Some of them are graduates; we will try as much as possible to secure jobs for them,” he added.
Source: ( Punch Newspaper )

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday arrived Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, for the 5th European Union-African Union, EU-AU, Summit slated for November 29 and 30.
The President was received at the Houphet Airport by Ivoiren President Alassane Ouattara.
Those on the President’s entourage include governors Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom and Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, as well as some ministers.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, led the Nigerian delegation to receive the president at the airport.
The President of African Development Bank, Akinwunmi Adeshina; Ministers of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung; Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazzau; and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Munguno; also welcomed the president at the airport.
Others at the airport included Nigeria’s ambassador, Ibrahim Isa; Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Affairs, Abike Dabiri-Erewa; and some embassy officials, as well as representatives of Nigerians resident in Cote d Ivoire.
A statement earlier issued by Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, said Mr. Buhari would participate in working sessions on the summit theme: “Investing in Youth for Sustainable Development.”
He said that on the margins of the summit, Mr. Buhari would meet with a number of African Heads of State and their EU counterparts.
(NAN)

The Senate on Wednesday resolved to invite the country’s security chiefs, in order to investigate the latest attacks by Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion moved by Senator Ali Ndume (Borno-South) at the plenary on Wednesday entitled, ‘The Worrisome State of Security in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.”
The motion partly read, “As most of you will agree, the situation in Borno particularly, and the North-East in general, is very pathetic and worrisome. And I am sure that the public is expecting this Senate to stand up and ask questions; that is what we are supposed to do in a closed session.
“The Senate is concerned that in this year (2017), the level of attacks by the insurgents has escalated to a worrisome level. It is worried that in the year 2017, more than 357 civilians were killed during 55 attacks in the North-East. The deadliest month was in August when the militant group killed 100 people, followed by November; with 76 people killed already. Recently, three soldiers and a child were killed in Magumeri in Borno; several civilians were killed in Madagali in Adamawa; and eight soldiers were killed in Sasawa in Yobe State.
“The Senate observed that up till date, 103 Chibok girls, 10 women from Askira/Uba and lately, three employees of the University of Maiduguri remain in captivity.”
He prayed the lawmakers to “invite the service chiefs to brief the Senate on the worrisome state of security in a closed session.”
Seconding the motion, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, expressed his disagreement with the Federal Government that the recent attacks by Boko Haram were from a decimated terrorist group.
He said, “Having listened to Senator Ali Ndume, I got as worried as himself about the situation in the North-East. When the news broke last week on the several killings in Adamawa, the Minister of Information (Lai Mohammed) told the whole nation that what we were seeing in Adamawa was the last kick of a dying horse.
“It appears that Senator Ndume disagrees with him and I disagree with him too. That is why the Senate is worried about the security situation, not only in the North-East but across the country.”
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, referred the matter to the Ahmed Lawan-led security committee.
Source: ( Punch Newspaper )

A Physically challenged woman who resides on Omohwovo Street, Iwhrekpokpo community, in the Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, allegedly killed her own baby hours after delivery.
The accused, who is identified as Elohor, was alleged to have given birth to the baby boy on Monday in her apartment, where she stayed with her mother, without any medical aid.
The cry of the newborn baby was said to have attracted neighbours, who immediately rushed to the apartment to offer assistance to the new mother.
The mother of the physically challenged woman was said to be away when she put to bed.
Elohor, who neighbours said was a plantain chip seller in her late 20s, was alleged to have killed the baby before the following morning, and lied to neighbours that the baby’s father took him away.
The identity of the man responsible for the pregnancy had remained unknown before she put to bed on Monday.
However, neighbours, who were not satisfied with the explanation, questioned her sibling.
It was then revealed that the baby had died in the night after the mother allegedly forced hot water into his mouth before suffocating him to death.
A resident, Simon Ohwo, who took to Facebook to decry the incident, said, “After the celebration (of the baby’s birth), everyone went home, leaving Elohor and her sibling, since the mum was not around that day, hoping to check on her in the morning.
“…the neighbours came in the morning to see how she and her baby were doing, only to find out that there was no baby anywhere. They asked Elohor about the child; she claimed that the father came late in the night and took him away having noticed that the child was not breathing well.
“The neighbours could not believe the story Elohor gave and decided to interrogate her. She held on to the same story. But one of them suggested that the sibling would give a better version of what actually happened to the child.
“The sibling said late in the night when everyone was gone, Elohor boiled water and forced it on the child to kill him, but the child could not take much which ended up burning the mouth of the day-old child. When the child defied death, she took a rag and tied it around his nose and mouth, which suffocated him to death.”
Ohwo added, “When she noticed that the child was dead, she put the corpse in a sack filled with refuse and plantain peels, and then gave it to a man to dispose of early in the morning as refuse.”
It was further gathered that following the confession, neighbours searched all the surrounding dumps in the area, and the corpse of the day-old baby was found with bruises in various parts of his body.
The baby’s mouth was said to have been severely burnt.
It was gathered that the suspect was handed over to operatives of the ‘B’ Division, Ughelli, for further investigation.
Some residents told our correspondent that the suspect had not been known to be mentally deranged.
Further investigation by our correspondent revealed that she had been granted bail by the police and ordered to always report at the station every week.
The spokesman for the Delta State Police Command, Mr. Andrew Aniamaka, confirmed the incident.
He said, “The fact is that somebody reported the case at the police station and she was arrested. Investigation will reveal the next line of action to take.”
Source: (Punch Newspaper )