A Special Anti-Cultism Court in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has sentenced 35-year-old Timileyin Afolayan to a total of 17 years in prison for unlawful possession of firearms and membership in a secret cult.
Presiding over the case, Magistrate O.L. Oke ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
He sentenced Afolayan to seven years for the first charge and 10 years for the second, with both sentences to run concurrently and without the option of a fine.
Afolayan, a resident of Lagos State, was convicted on two counts—belonging to an unlawful society and possessing a locally made pistol without a license.
Police prosecutor, Inspector Olaide Rawlings, told the court that Afolayan was arrested on October 19, 2023, during a stop-and-search operation at Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta.
Officers found a locally made pistol in his crossbody bag, and he later confessed to being a member of the Buccaneers secret cult, also known as the Alora Confraternity.
Rawlings stated that the offence violated the Secret Cults Prohibition and Special Provisions Law of Ogun State, 2016, and the Firearms Act of the Federation of Nigeria, 2014.