The Association for Good Governance Advocacy (AGGA), Ondo State Chapter, has urged the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to immediately clamp down on cult groups and criminal elements allegedly being armed by politicians ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement signed by its State Coordinator, Mrs. Folakemi Benson, the group alleged that some politicians were already supplying cultists with weapons and ammunition, deploying them as political thugs in the run up to the polls.
AGGA warned that Ondo State, once regarded as one of Nigeria’s safest, had degenerated into what it described as “a kidnappers’ den,” citing Tuesday’s abduction of six worshippers at a church in Uso, Owo Local Government Area, as a grim testament to the deteriorating security situation.
The group further alleged that many criminal incidents, particularly kidnappings, go unreported creating, in its words, “a false impression that the security situation is under control.”
In a particularly pointed allegation, AGGA held Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa responsible for what it termed the deliberate encouragement of cultism in the state, accusing him of political associations that embolden criminal elements.
Central to AGGA’s allegations is the Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation for Tinubu (LACOT), whose members reportedly adopted blue berets as part of their group identity.
The advocacy body argued that the choice of headwear bore a striking resemblance to the insignia of a known cult group and could embolden cult activity across the state.
“It is shameful that at a period when the state is battling issues of insecurity, supporters of Governor Aiyedatiwa would launch a campaign group that adopts berets that share the same colour as a particular cult group,” the statement read in part.
AGGA also raised suspicions about the identities of those aiding criminal networks in the state, questioning whether some of the kidnappings were being facilitated by internal collaborators with cult affiliations.
“No doubt, these suspected bandits who are committing crimes in the state have some internal allies working with them to carry out this series of kidnapping and killing. Who knows if their allies are not these cultists?” the group queried.
AGGA called on the police and other security agencies to thoroughly investigate the alleged arming of criminal groups and ensure that anyone found culpable, irrespective of political affiliation, is prosecuted.
