Nigeria: No Fewer Than Six People Killed By suspected Cultists

At least  six people were killed and scores injured after suspected cultists unleashed terror on the Ajegunle area of Apapa and Ikorodu, Lagos State.

The incidents happened between Tuesday October 4 and Thursday October 6, 2016. A bloody fight broke out between suspected cultists and butchers in the Alayabiagba area of Ajegunle, Apapa, Lagos after a butcher called Adewale Fakunle was allegedly killed by suspected cultists last Tuesday at about 10:00 p.m. The late Fakunle was returning home in his bus when he was allegedly attacked by the cultists who were said to be licking their wounds after they were alegedly humiliated by members of a rival gang.

The suspects were said to have brutalised and robbed the late butcher of his phones and other valuables. Sources said that Fakunle managed to get to his residence on Baale Aiyetoro Street and narrated his ordeal to his friends and neighbours. It was gathered that he, however, died on his way to a hospital. News of his death triggered violence as members of the butchers association in the community stormed the hideout of the cultists and killed one of them.

The cultists again struck on Thursday, killing a butcher in the area. It was learnt that the intervention of men of the Area ‘B’ Command afterwards brought the situation under control. The situation has, however, caused tension in the community as residents feared there might be reprisal attack soon. A resident who spoke in confidence, said: ’’It was as if war was going on in this neighbourhood when a group of butchers armed to the teeth engaged the cult boys in a bloody fight following the killing of their member called Fakunle.

‘’We had to stay indoors till the arrival of policemen from a nearby Area Command who restored normalcy a few hours later. However, the butchers too succeeded in killing one of the cult boys while several others were wounded during the clash.’’ A similar attack carried out by suspected cultists in the Lambo Lasunwon area of First Gate, Ikorodu left three people dead, including a final year student of Mass Communication in Lagos State Polytechnic (Laspotech) and one of the school’s security guard,Adedokun Olatunji. A source told our correspondent that the unnamed security guard who was at the scene in mufti was shot in error by the cultists. The late student, Babatunde Ogundeji, was on his way home after.