A certain teenager, Opeyemi Johnson, has reportedly confessed to being a member of the Lagos dreaded cult group, ‘Awawa Boys.’
The 13-year-old Junior Secondary School student of an unnamed private school in Sango Ota, Ogun State, told New Telegraph how he was initiated into cultism and robbery by someone he respected and looked up to as ‘big brother.’
It would be recalled that the said ‘Awawa’ cult group has reportedly been known for causing terror in Agege, Lagos state and Ogun state environs.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, had in the past, confirmed that members of the group had a unique teardrop tattoo beside their left eyes.
He said that specific tattoo was the identity of members of the Awawa (loosely translated as “We are alive”) gang operating in the area, noting that members of Awawa were between the age range of 12 to 23.
However, confirming the development, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Dolapo said the teenager was arrested after he and other members of the gang attacked and robbed passers-by of bags, phones and other valuables.
The spokesperson said, “The suspect and other members of the cult group were arrested on Sunday morning at Fagba, Lagos by Rapid Response Squad, RRS officials after they received a distress complaint from a victim.
“They were returning from a Street Carnival somewhere around Power Line in the Agbado Crossing area of the state when they suddenly went on the rampage and started dispossessing passers-by of bags, phones and other valuable items,” Badmos said.
Confessing to the crime, Johnson said: “I was initiated into the group about a year ago. It was one brother whom I only know as Ola that introduced and forced me to join the group.
“Initially, I did not know it would turn out like this. Immediately I saw their ways of life, I wanted to quit but they threatened to kill me if I leave the group.
“On my initiation day,” the teenager continued, “It was on a Sunday evening at Abattoir, Agege. Ola took me to a dark room and ordered me to kneel down.
“In that room, I met other six members of the group already waiting for my arrival. The cult leader known as Ijaomode blindfolded me with a black piece of cloth and all the six members descended on me. They gave me a thorough beating.
“After that, they gave me alligator pepper to chew and alcoholic drink. One of them stood up, drew a tattoo on my forehead and below my eyes as a sign of being a bona fide member of the group.
“Since then, I have been going out with them for operations. I stopped going back home and started sleeping in a shanty at Abattoir.”
On how he was nabbed, Johnson said, “On our way home, our ‘Capol, nicknamed Ijaomode, instructed us to start robbing anybody we met on our way. We robbed not less than 10 individuals of their belongings before we got to Fagba Junction.
“At this point, we saw a young girl, whom we immediately surrounded and collected all her belongings, including phones and jewelry. She later went to bring RRS men who chased us and arrested me but my colleagues escaped.”
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