Sanwo-Olu Signs 21-year Jail Term Into Law for Cultists
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday signed the anti-cultism bill “Prohibition of Unlawful Societies and Cultism of 2021” into law.
The law constitutes a 21-year Jail term for convicted cultists and 15-year jail term for those found guilty of abetting cultism.
The governor signed the anti-cultism bill in the State House, Alausa.
The signed law aims to combat cultism in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos State by giving stiffer punishments to convicted cultists and those encouraging them.
Sanwo-Olu assented to the bill yesterday at the swearing-in event for newly appointed members of the state’s Public Procurement Agency Governing Board and two Permanent Secretaries held at Banquet Hall in the State House, Alausa.
At the event, the governor also signed three other bills into law.
They are Lagos State Audit Service Commission (Amendment) Law of 2019, Lagos State Public Procurement Bill of 2021 and Coronavirus Pandemic Emergency Law of 2021.
The anti-cultism law repeals the Cultism (Prohibition) Law of 2007 (now Cap. C18, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015) and provides for more stringent punitive measures, as well as makes its application all-encompassing and applicable to the general public, as against the restriction of the previous law to students of tertiary institutions.
Sanwo-Olu said the state had suffered the negative effects of unlawful societies and cultism, stressing that the new law sought to make parents more responsible and show more interest in the upbringing of their children and wards to ensure that they do not become a burden to society.
Speaking on the appointment of the procurement agency’s Governing Board members, the governor said their selection was predicated on their track record of integrity, experience and professional competence.
He said the board’s duty was to oversee the procurement process, by ensuring that public funds were judiciously expended in a manner that would promote accountability, transparency and value for money.
