Some residents of Ogun State have expressed support for the proposed establishment of a special court by the state government to try cult-related cases and ensure culprits are held responsible for their actions.
Governor Dapo Abiodun, reading the riot act on Wednesday, stated that cultists would be treated with the long arm of the law.
For this reason, the state plans to set up a Joint Anti-Cultism Security Task Force comprising all major security outfits, with the mandate to rid the state of the menace of cultism in the state
Several residents, who welcomed the proposed law among other measures to tackle the menace head-on, attributed it to the decadence in family and societal moral values, saying the move is a move in the right direction.
The proposed law comes on the heels of recent violent cult clashes which left about eight dead and the wanton destruction of properties and means of livelihood in the Sagamu area of the state.
The menace of cultism had been a significant challenge in Abeokuta, Sagamu, and Ijebu Ode, leading to avoidable deaths and wanton destruction of properties and livelihoods.
And despite a crackdown by security operatives which has led to many arrests, the crisis has not abated.
Residents have attributed this to the proliferation of illegal drugs and an erosion of family and societal values aggravating violence among the youths.
Apparently disturbed by this development seen in many quarters as both security and economic sabotage for the state, the state government is contemplating measures, including the enactment of laws and an amnesty for cultists to renounce their membership.
The measures are being commended by residents who believed it would restore sanity.
