No fewer than five people have been killed in a supremacy fight between suspected members of the Eiye and Aiye cults in the Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Residents, who spoke to PUNCH Metro during visits to scenes of the attacks, identified the victims as Oladipupo Bamitogba, Yosi, Ibrahim Abiodun, Sesan and Rasak Busari, aka Aro.
Some residents claimed that two of the victims, Bamitogba and Yosi, were not cultists, adding that they were only victims of circumstances.
A witness, Lateef Abdullahi, said Bamitogba, an accountant, was shot and cut with machetes around Adaraloye area of Ikorodu on Monday, May 6, 2019.
He explained that the victim died after running out of oxygen when the ambulance conveying him to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, ran into gridlock.
Another witness, Saliu Balogun, said Yosi was killed when the hoodlums who stormed the Isele area around 9pm last Sunday missed their target.
He said, “Around 9.30pm, the cult members came to kill one of their opponents. When they got to the area, they opened fire on the target. The target escaped, but bullets hit Yosi and another man. They ran after the target. When they could not get him, they returned to where Yosi was lying down and stabbed him. He died at the Ikorodu General Hospital, but the other victim survived.”
The third victim, Abiodun, was reportedly killed in broad daylight.
A resident, Lola Sunday, said the hoodlums first opened fire on Abiodun before attacking him with machetes.
Sunday said, “We ran inside immediately they started shooting at him; we peeped through a hole in the gate and saw two guys with an axe and a gun. After killing him, they took a snapshot of his corpse and left. It was when the police came that Ibrahim (Abiodun) was identified as a cult member.”
A businessman, who did not want his name in print, said Sesan was shot dead last Tuesday around 8pm.
Sesan was reportedly killed near his house in the Itunmoja-Itunpate area of Ikorodu.
He said,“We were praying in the mosque when we suddenly heard gunshots; we didn’t finish the prayers because everyone took to their heels. It was when we came back that we realised that Sesan had been shot dead. From what we heard, the people who killed him were cultists. We don’t know if he was a cultist or not; but ever since the incident happened, we have been leaving early for safety.”
Another resident, Thomas Badmus, said the fifth victim, Busari, was killed on the day he was to travel out of the country.
The legal practitioner said, “I knew Rasak (Busari) because we stayed in the same area. He was a notorious cult member who had attempted to kill a rival cultist on Saturday. The guy escaped and went to mobilise members of his faction.
“On Sunday, Rasak was warned about the impending danger, but he ignored it. He made an attempt to run when they eventually came, but it was too late. About seven cult members chased and caught up with him in front of his house, where he was stabbed to death with a dagger.
“This is a residential area and shops have not been opening because people are scared of a reprisal. We heard that Rasak was to travel abroad on the day he was killed.”
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
