LAGOS – A 22-Year- old ex-convict and, cultist, Ahmed Usman has disclosed that he accepted being initiated into a cult while serving in prison to enable him get food to eat.

Ahmed, an indigene of Kwara State who was arrested by the Anti-Cultism Unit of the Lagos State Police Command said he joined the illicit group due to the poor feeding arrangement in the prison.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Independent, the suspect said: “I graduated from Senior Secondary School in 2018. I have four credits and two A1 from Leonard College, in Fasasi area of Ajegunle.

“I joined cult in Badagry prison when I was remanded for fighting in 2018. I was in the prison for a month.

“The hardships in the prison made me joined the cult group, I am a member of Arubarga (Barga ) cult group. The hardships in the prison made me joined the cult group.

“There was no good food and water in the prison and my cell head (Marshal, the number one person in the cell) was a member of ‘Barga’, so one day, he told me that if I want to be eating good food, I should join the Arubarga cult group, I joined them and I started eating good food in the prison.

“My cell marshal has a means of buying food from outside the prison and since I joined his cult group, I eat well because the food in the prison was not regular and very poor.

“I discovered that if I don’t accept the offer of joining the group I will suffer so I had to join the group just to get food to eat and for protection.” He said.

Speaking on what brought about his arrest again, Ahmed said he was arrested again for snatching a lady’s bag.

“I was arrested again because I snatched a lady’s bag in Ajegunle. The bag contained an infinix phone and the sum of seventeen thousand naira (N17,000) and I sold the phone for ten thousand naira (N10,000).

“I do all these stealing because, I didn’t have money to set up a business on the trade I learnt.

“I didn’t further my education after secondary school because I don’t want rather I want to continue with my shoe making business.

“I regret the fact that I am back in the police custody.

I will like to tell the youth that are still into cultism to desist because it does not have any benefit. I regret what brought me here but I caused it because I joined bad company”. He said.