Kunle ADELABU
-Security groups, cultists in gun duel
Zubairu Muazu, Lagos Police Chief and Lanre Olabinjo, leader of the Vigilance Group
Two suspected cultists have so far been killed in the renewed cult clash in Ikorodu area of Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria.
According to report, a Vulcaniser, who is also selling Vesper motorbikes at Ota-Ona and a suspected Axe confraternity member and Gbedun, a suspected Eiye confraternity, were killed on Tuesday, April 2, in the latest clash.
The Vulcaniser was said to have been trailed to his shop at Ota-Ona and killed by suspected Eiye cultists while Gbedun was also killed at Sago area of Ikorodu same evening in what is believed to be a reprisal attack.
It was gathered that the number of the casualties in the clash was more than two but we could not ascertained the actual figure as at the press time.
Many of the suspected cultists on both sides were said to have been badly injured with bullet wounds and are on the run.
Several innocent victims who were reportedly caught in the crossfire were said to be receiving treatment at the General hospital.
THE IMPACT also gathered that about 15 suspects have been arrested by the combined team of the local vigilance group and police so far.
There are many eye witnesses’ accounts concerning what led to the recent clash between the members of the Eiye Confraternity and Axe Confraternity who are known to be old rivals.
The deadly clash reportedly started at Solomade on Monday (April 1st) and had since spread to Isikalu, Obun-Ale, Ajina, Ota Ona, Itagbodo and Owolowo among other areas in Ikorodu.
It was also gathered that the fight broke out when a member of Aye cult group accused an Eiye cult member, who was sent to drop an envelope in a car by a known figure (name withheld), of stepping on him.
THE IMPACT gathered that the Eiye cult member, who was allegedly harassed by members of the rival group, went to his group members outside the area to mobilize for reprisal.
Another source informed our reporter that the renewed fight was an offshoot of the deep seated rivalry between the two groups which was a time bomb waiting to explode.
In another account, the clash was adduced to the insistence of the Solomade guys, who are predominantly Axe members, that their rivals cannot have access into and out of Solomade.
There was also an allegation that several guys had been harassed by the Solomade boys and were also asked never to come into the neighbourhood again.
Mr Lanre Olabinjo, Leader of the Onyabo Vigilance group, confirmed to THE IMPACT that members of the warring rival cult groups engaged themselves in a marathon face-to-face gun battle on that fateful Monday evening.
According to him, those that were not with guns were said to have resulted into throwing bottles and stones while others were armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.
Olabinjo said that the deadly shootouts was halted by the combined team of Onyabo members and police who responded swiftly to the uprising and were able to chase the combatants out of the area and restored normalcy around midnight.
It was later gathered that the cultists regrouped at Obun-Ale market, Ajina market and other notorious areas in Ikorodu that same night. This, however, compelled the combined security team to comb every nook and cranny in a bid to flush out the criminals.
The Onyabo leader also informed our reporter that many innocent residents were injured during the shootouts.
“At around 12am, I learnt that some innocent residents have been shot. On getting to the General hospital, I saw a boy of about 19 years old with bullets wounds all over him and he was in the pool of his own blood.
“There was also a man of about 75 years old who was shot on the head and other parts of his body.He also had blood all his body. He told me that he was on his way home when they shot him. He was unable to speak further because he was vomiting blood.
THE IMPACT learnt that the Divisional Police Station gave the casualities hospital papers which enabled them to be promptly attended to.
We further gathered that an elderly woman was also shot and consequently fell into a drainage at Itagbodo area while another boy of about 14 years was also reported to have sustained serious gunshot wounds in the same area.
We, however, could not ascertained the conditions of these victims as at the press time.
More so, THE IMPACT gathered that as early as 4am on Tuesday (April 2), the cultists started gathering at Jaladugbo and Laketu areas in preparation to engage themselves in another attack.
We, however, gathered that members of the Onyabo Vigilance group got wind of this unholy gathering and quickly alerted the police with whom they stormed scenes in a bid to round the cultists up but the before they could get there, the cultists had already started shooting at one another.
It was also reported that the cultists were using the ugly development to harass and extort innocent residents while those who resisted them were severely injured.
Also on that same Tuesday, the combined security team was engaged in a fierce gun duel with about 70 suspected cultists after the security team stormed their hideout behind the Salvation Army, along Sabo road, Ikorodu. .
The renewed clash between the two rival cult groups has reportedly paralysed economic and social activities in many parts of Ikorodu such as Ladega, Isikalu, Owolowo, Ajina and other areas while the security team were said to be combing every nook and cranny of these areas and other notorious parts of Ikorodu in search of these criminals.
