By; Oladele Adedayo, Ado-Ekiti.
Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital has sentenced two students of the state University (EKSU), Akintunde Olumide and Oladapo Olaoluwa to three years imprisonment for their involvement in secret cult activities.
The Police prosecution, Mr. Femi Falade told the court that the accused committed the offence on July 13, 2013 at an hotel in Iworoko-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government area of the state.
He said that the accused were brought on a three-count-charge of stealing, assault and secret cult.
The offence, he said was punishable under Section 355, 4(1) of criminal code Laws of Ekiti state 2012 and Secret cults (Abolition and Prohibition).
The prosecution counsel called four witnesses to prove his case, while the defending counsel, Mr. Emmanuel Oluwole also called three witnesses to prove his case.
In her ruling, Justice Mosun Abodunde said that the prosecution counsel had established a case of secret cult beyond reasonable doubt.
She said that the accused made a confessional statement as a member of black axe at the criminal investigation department during interrogation.
She added that the Police found in their custody, small cultlass, black head warmer, black T.shirt, black trousers during investigation.
The Judge held that the short cutlass cannot be measurable with the one used for agriculture or weeding grass.
“It is not a tool for education, it is a weapon of danger and indiscriminating,which should not be seen within the school premises”she added.
She described secret cult according to Ekiti State Laws as a group whose membership are kept in secret, committing or inciting violence, encouraging the disturbance of the state.
Justice Abodunde said the exhibit recovered from the accused made the case weighty.
She, therefore found the accused guilty as charge and convict them accordingly.
The judge resolved two of the issue in favour of the accused and used the last count to sentence them to three years imprisonment without any option of fine to serve as deterrent to other students in higher institutions.
