Lagos Assembly Prohibits Unlawful Societies And Cultism

<p>Lagos Assembly has prohibited unlawful societies and cultism in Lagos state<br &sol;>&NewLine;<strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a><&sol;strong> reports that Lagos <strong>Assembly<&sol;strong> has passed a bill into law prohibiting unlawful societies&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;According to a statement from the Assembly&comma; the new law stipulates 15 years for anyone who allows his premises as meeting place for cultists and 21 years imprisonment for anyone found guilty&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The statement reads&colon;<br &sol;>&NewLine;<em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote; The Lagos House of Assembly late Monday passed a bill banning the activities of cultists and related illegal societies across the state into a law&period;<&sol;em><br &sol;>&NewLine;<em>The new law stipulates a 21-year imprisonment for anyone found guilty of engaging in cult activities&period; It also stipulates a 15-year jail term for anyone convicted of abetting cultists or who allows his premises to be used by cultists as a meeting place&period;<&sol;em><br &sol;>&NewLine;<em>After its passage&comma; the Speaker of the state Assembly&comma; Rt&period; Hon&period; Mudashiru Obasa&comma; directed the clerk of the House&comma; Mr&period; Olalekan Onafeko&comma; to transmit the law to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for assent&period;<&sol;em><br &sol;>&NewLine;<em>Titled&colon; &OpenCurlyQuote;A law to provide for the prohibition of unlawful societies and cultism in Lagos state and for other connected purposes&&num;8217&semi;&comma; it says a society shall be regarded as unlawful if its members carry out illegal&comma; destructive activities contrary to public policy&comma; safety and peace of members of the public&period;<&sol;em><br &sol;>&NewLine;<em>Section 3 of the law states&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Any person who is a member of an unlawful society or cult&comma; identifies as a member or solicits for members of an unlawful society or cult&comma; attends a meeting of an unlawful society or cult whether as a member or an intending member of the unlawful society or cult commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of 21 years imprisonment&period;”<&sol;em><br &sol;>&NewLine;<em>The jail term also concerns anyone who attends such meetings or does any illegal act which may probably cause a breach of peace&comma; disturb public peace or conducts activities in such a manner a to pose a threat to life and property&period;<&sol;em><br &sol;>&NewLine;<em>The law further states&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Anyone who forms&comma; organises or combines and agrees with anyone to form or organise an unlawful society or cult&comma; manages and assists in the management of an unlawful society or cult or knowingly allows a meeting of members of an unlawful society or cult to be held in any property under his control commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of 15 years imprisonment&period;”<&sol;em><br &sol;>&NewLine;<em>The 15-year jail term further applies to anyone who intimidates or compels people to join a cult group&period;<&sol;em><br &sol;>&NewLine;<em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Any person who injures or uses violence on a person to compel the person to join an unlawful society or cult&comma; commits an offence and liable on conviction to a term of 21 years imprisonment&period;<&sol;em><br &sol;>&NewLine;<em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Any person who administers or is present at and consents to the administering of any unlawful oath that appears to bind the person who takes it to become a member of an unlawful society or cult under this law&comma; commits an offence and is liable on conviction to seven years&comma;” the law says&period;<&sol;em><br &sol;>&NewLine;<em>It also stipulates 21 years for any member of a cult group who sets fire on anything or uses firearm or deadly objects including acid and other chemicals in any manner as to cause harm to anyone&period;<&sol;em><br &sol;>&NewLine;<em>For students in the state&comma; the law&comma; which prohibits campus cultism&comma; says anyone of them who is convicted would face a jail term not exceeding two years&period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;