28th January, 2023
Paul Iyoghojie
Operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, Yaba of the Lagos State Police Command have busted two suspected members of the Supreme Viking Cult Fraternity.
The Viking members, according to the police, have been terrorising residents of the Sangotedo area of Ibeju-Lekki for a long time.
Police said that nemesis caught up with the suspects identified as Sylvester Chibuzor, 35, and John Momoh, 25 when they assembled with others still at large at a hideout at Amode Monastery Road, Sangotedo, Ibeju-Lekki, preparatory to lunch an attack on the residents in the area.
Police further alleged that following the information of the planned attack, a crack team led by Inspector Salami Akeem stormed the scene and succeeded in arresting the two suspects with a locally made Single barrel cut to size gun while others managed to escape.
Chibuzor, a resident of Sangotedo from Ebonyi State and Momoh who also lives at Sangotedo, Ibeju-Lekki from Ankpa in Kogi State were charged before the Yaba Magistrate’s Court, Lagos on a two-count charge bordering on unlawful possession of a firearm without authority and belonging to an unlawful society called Supreme Viking Cult fraternity.
Police Prosecuting Counsel, Magaji Haruna informed the Court that the defendants committed the offence on 9 September 2022 at Sangotedo, Lagos.
Haruna told the Court that Police arrested the defendants with a gun while they were planning to lunch a deadly attack on the residents in the area with their accomplices still at large.
Haruna said the offences, the defendants committed were contrary to session 4 of the Fire Arms Act 2010 and punishable under sessions 27(1)(b)(1) of the Fire Arms Act 2010, and session 2(3)(a)(b)(e) of the Lagos State Laws on unlawful Society and Cultism, 2021.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and Magistrate, A.Y Adefope granted them N100,000 bail each with two sureties each in like sum.
Adefope adjourned the case till 16 February 2023 for mention and ordered that the defendants be detained at the Kirikiri correctional facility, Apapa, Lagos till they fulfil the bail conditions.