Lagos State Commissioner of Police Mr Hakeem Odumosu has said that the Command has won the war on cultism, including the notorious gang, One Million Boys, that had been terrorising the state.

The CP, during a press briefing at the weekend on the achievements of the Command in the last quarter of 2021, said cultism including gangs like the dreaded Awawa boys and No Salary boys.

‘I raise up my hands before God and man to say that we have won the war on cultism as we have defeated the dreaded One Million Boys, Awawa boys and No Salary boys who were terrorising the State. They are now history. When I took over as the Commissioner of Police, the groups were terrorising residents. They had the gut of writing letters telling residents that they were visiting them; telling them what they should keep for them and they would visit and do house to house raiding. That was my first assignment as I said that would not happen under my watch,’ he said.

‘My management team engaged on serious strategies which paid off. Today One Million Boys, Awawa boys and No salary boys are history. Well, how did we achieve this is the question. I want to give credit to the Lagos State Government and the House of Assembly. I cried to them that they should review the law on cultism which is the root of all crimes. The punishment on cultism was very minor and the House of Assembly reviewed the law, making the punishment stringent and the law paid off as punishments were assigned to each offender. The landlords know that if their houses are used for crime or meetings by cultists or armed robbers, there is punishment to it. The hoteliers know that when cultists use their hotels for meeting or to commit crimes, there is a heavy punishment on them. Parents now know that when their children are involved in cult-related activities, they have a two-year jail term to contend with. People now know that when they aid or abet cultists, there is a punishment that awaits them. We applied the simple rule of when you see something you say something.

‘Cultists are not from the moon, they live among us, because of the stringent laws, people started whistleblowing; giving out information. This really assisted us in the war against cultism and this helped us to defeat One Million Boys, Awawa boys and No salary boys. Today, Lagos is the safest state in Nigeria. Go to every hotel this period, they are fully booked because people come for conferences, seminars and other programmes, including weddings. This attests to the fact that Lagos is very peaceful

‘The achievements could not have been possible, but for the support of the state governor and the good people of Lagos State. Not only that, the visionary leadership and sense of direction given by our amiable IGP, Akali Baba Usman, deserve our commendation and appreciation. The logistic support given by the governor and IGP is a motivating factor that has always propelled us towards greater commitment.’