Ogun proposes law to hold cult groups accountable for members’ crimes

The Ogun State Government has proposed sweeping reforms to its criminal justice system that would make members of unlawful societies liable for crimes committed in furtherance of their groups’ objectives, while also creating a dedicated office to support victims of crime.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN, disclosed this on Tuesday.

Recall that the Ogun State Executive Council approved four criminal justice bills to address escalating security challenges like cultism, ritual killings and organized extortion.

The State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN, noted that with the council’s approval, the administration prepared the legislative package for immediate transmission to the Ogun State House of Assembly to modernize the state’s penal codes.

The foundational pillar of this legislative push is the Group Liability for Offences of Violence, Extortion and Secret Societies (GLOVES) Bill, which establishes collective criminal responsibility for organized crime.

According to him, the proposed legislation is among four criminal justice bills already approved by the Ogun State Executive Council for transmission to the House of Assembly to strengthen public safety and address identified gaps in the state’s criminal justice system.

“We have come up with four bills, which the executive council approved last week that we should present to the House of Assembly for passage into law”, he stated.

Ogungbade explained that one of the proposed laws, titled the Group Liability for Offences of Violence, Extortion and Secret Societies Bill, otherwise known as the Gloves Bill, seeks to address difficulties prosecutors often face in securing convictions for cult-related killings.

“Essentially, there are four and then these four have been carefully crafted to meet gaps, which we have identified in the criminal justice system and in no order of priority, the first one is what we know as the group liability for offenses of violence, extortion and secret societies bill, which we have referred to as the gloves bill,” he said.

He noted that while many suspects admit belonging to secret societies, they frequently deny taking part in killings carried out by fellow members, making prosecution difficult.

“So what we seek to do with this bill is to have the law now hold every member of an unlawful society responsible for crimes committed, and this is important, in furtherance of the objectives of that unlawful society. So if you willingly take the oath of secret society, and you know the objectives… you can no longer hide under the fact that, oh, I’m just a member, I did not participate in the killing of X,” he clarified.

Ogungbade said the proposed legislation became necessary because cultism has evolved beyond its traditional base in tertiary institutions, spreading into communities and involving various categories of people.

He warned that the changing nature of cult activities poses a growing security threat that requires urgent legislative intervention.

“Cultism has now moved beyond the walls of tertiary institutions, particularly in Ogun state.  We now have artisans, bricklayers, vulcanizers, becoming active members of cults, and experience has shown that they are even more deadly than the ones operating within the walls of tertiary institutions”

The Attorney-General said the bill also introduces innovative evidential provisions that would enable the state to rely on specific conduct as evidence of membership in unlawful societies, including the dissemination of propaganda or possession of cult-related paraphernalia.

“If you deliberately participate in dissemination of information or propaganda of an unlawful society, you cannot turn around to say, well, I’m not a member, or if you are found in possession and distribution of paraphernalia of a secret society, you cannot claim not to be a member”

He added that stakeholders would be invited to contribute during legislative consideration of the bill, describing the proposal as a decisive step in tackling cultism.

“I am certain that in the course of consideration of this bill, the House of Assembly will itself invite stakeholders to comment, so that people will know that we are departing from that which has not really worked and we are going into an era where we want to be decisive against cultism.”