‘I joined cult to avenge my friend’s murder’

Balogun...yesterday

A suspected cultist, Oriyomi Balogun, 30, (a.k.a. J-Prompt) yesterday said he joined the EiyeConfraternity in 2009 to avenge the death of his best friend killed by members of Black Axe.

The suspect, who said he was happy to have fulfilled his wish, added that he killed two persons, Femi

Wiper and Lekan Akon, who murdered his friend, Sunday Folarunsho.

J-Prompt has been on the wanted list of the police for allegedly unleashing mayhem on residents of Shomolu and Bariga.

Although he was alleged to have been involved in various armed robbery operations, the suspect denied the allegation, insisting that he only involved in cult clashes.

He said: “I am a ‘Bird’. I belong to Eiye confraternity and we are always fighting with Aiye (Black Axe) over who controls the area. We also fight when they snatch our member’s girlfriend. I joined Eiyebecause Aiye members killed my best friend in 2009. His death pained me so much and Eiye people came to me that they will help me to avenge his killing if I joined them. I agreed and we killed Femi Wiper. We killed him during a carnival. Lekan Akon was killed in 2010. Since then, I have not killed anyone again but my members have been killing people.

“I was arrested last week while we were chasing a robber who came to our area. Policemen from Alade Division came and stopped us. They arrested me and took me to the station.

“They said I will have to wait for the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to come the following morning and that my mother should come and bail me but when my mother came, the DPO said they should not bail me.

“I do not regret my actions. I take responsibility for it but I want to advise young people that cultism does not pay. They should never repay evil with evil. Our government too is not helping the youth. So many young people who do not intend to take to crime are doing so because there is no assistance from government,” he said.

Asked how he was able to escape each fight unscathed, the suspect said as an ‘Alpha’, he has his charms, adding that a herbalist was also invited to ‘cook’ them to become bullet proofs.

Parading the suspect, Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni said he confessed to several murders in the last six months, adding that he led the gang that razed popular house, Mashafani.