Cultists risk 20-year-jail term in Bayelsa

Bayelsa State Government, on Monday, took its war against cultism to a different level following the signing of the Secret Cult, Societies and Similar Activities Prohibition Amendment Bill 2018 into law, by the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson.

The new law prescribes 20-year-jail term without an option of fine for anybody convicted of cultism-related offences.

Assenting to the amended law in Government House, Dickson lamented the rise in cult and other related activities in the state, especially in Yenagoa and its environs.

He stressed that, with the amendment, the law enforcement agencies had been empowered to deal decisively with suspected cultists and their sponsors.

Dickson explained that, the amendment to the law, which had existed since May, 2012, was to check the rise in cult activities among youths.

He said the amendment was necessary to give the law enforcement agencies more powers to proactively protect lives and property as well as safeguard the future of the state.

The law also empowers the police and other law enforcement agencies to conduct search on the homes of suspected cultists and sponsors, even without warrant.

The amendment prescribes that buildings and premises used for cult, activities, initiations as well as the storage of arms and dangerous weapons should be forfeited to the government.

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The law further empowers the state government to destroy such buildings and premises, without any compensation to its owners.

The governor called on landlords and property owners not to allow criminals and cultists to turn their property into centre of crime and criminality.

He urged Bayelsans to report all suspicious and cult related activities to the appropriate authorities.

Dickson said: “As a government we cannot allow this ugly trend of events to continue unabated.  A situation where children below 15, 16, 17 and majority of our youth population are members of one dangerous cult group or society, where they carry guns and other weapons and shoot, maim, kill  and create insecurity in parts of the State is totally unacceptable. As a responsible government, we must put an end to this and it has to be now.’’

In his remarks, the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Don Awunah, said the new law repositioned the state in the fight against cultism and cult-related activities in the country.

“With the amendments, we believe the police now have the comprehensive powers to confront crime and criminality head-on because most crimes in the state are cult-related”.

 

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