The Association for Good Governance Advocacy (AGGA), Ondo State Chapter, has called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to immediately clamp down on cultists and criminal elements operating in the state.
The group expressed concern over what it described as an alarming surge in cult-related activities, linking the rising wave of insecurity to the proliferation of armed cult groups allegedly being empowered ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement signed by its State Coordinator, Mrs. Folakemi Benson, AGGA alleged that some politicians were already arming cultists with weapons and ammunition to deploy them as political thugs in the build-up to the polls.
According to the group, the high crime rate in Ondo State is closely connected to the activities of these cult groups, many of whom allegedly have access to firearms and are involved in kidnapping, robbery and other violent crimes.
AGGA further claimed that several criminal incidents, particularly kidnapping cases, often go unreported, thereby creating what it described as a false impression that the security situation is under control.
The advocacy group also blamed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for what it termed the encouragement of cultism in the state, alleging that certain political actions and associations were emboldening criminal elements.
Specifically, AGGA referenced a group known as Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation for Tinubu (LACOT), whose members reportedly adopted blue berets as part of their identity.
The group argued that the mode of dressing could embolden cultists across the state, claiming it shares similarities with the attire of a known cult group.
In the statement, AGGA said:
“Apart from the fact that Ondo State, which used to be one of the safest states in the country, has now become a kidnappers’ den, it is shocking and disheartening that six people would be kidnapped in a church at Uso in Owo Local Government on Tuesday.
“No doubt these suspected bandits who are committing crimes in the state have some internal allies who are working with them to carry out this series of kidnapping and killing. Who knows if their allies are not these cultists?
“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.”
AGGA therefore urged the police and other security agencies to conduct thorough investigations into the alleged arming of cultists and ensure that anyone found culpable, regardless of political affiliation, is brought to justice.
