Two suspected cultists, Abdulsalam Olarewaju, 25 of No. 24, Alawaye Area, Pakata and Oyedepo David, 22 of No. 8, Ogo-Oluwa Street, Tanke Area, both in Ilorin, Kwara State, who were said to have been arrested while carrying out initiation for  new members have appeared before an Ilorin Magistrate Court.

They were arraigned on a two-count charge of criminal conspiracy and being members of secret cult and have since been ordered to be remanded at the Federal Prison, Oke-Kura, Ilorin.

The accused were arrested on January 6 following a tip-off that suspected cultists from Kwara State University, Malete, Ilorin, were gathering at Amosu Village, about 20km from their campus, for initiation into a secret cult group.

A combined team of the police and vigilante were said to have stormed the venue of the initiation, but the suspected cultists allegedly ran in different directions on sighting the team.

Police said that some bottles of dry gin and a Mazda 626 car with registration number JZ 289 EKY abandoned by the suspected cultists were recovered.

Police said further that while searching through Amosu village and environ, the accused were arrested along the bush path near the scene where the suspected cultists gathered.

Police First Information Report (FIR) on the matter stated that investigation conducted at the State CID, Ilorin, revealed that the accused are both students of Kwara State University, Malete, Ilorin and are members of the secret cult undertaking initiation ceremony at Amosu village.

The FIR stated further that investigation also revealed that the accused neither reside in Amosu village nor knew any person in the village where they were arrested.

The offences contravene Sections 97 and 97(B) of the Penal Code, Law of Kwara State Cap P4 Kwara State Legal Notes No. 3 of 2010.

The prosecutor, Inspector, David Wodi objected to the bail of the accused and urged the court to remand them at the Federal Prison, Ilorin, pending the outcome of the investigation.

The trial magistrate, Mrs. B.A. Baraje, who said that the offences allegedly committed by the accused were not ordinarily bailable, stated that the court was not inclined to admit them to bail most especially that investigation into the matter was yet to be completed.

Consequently, the court ordered that the accused be remanded at the Federal Prison, Oke-Kura, Ilorin, until tomorrow when the matter will come up for mention.