Cultists kill 4 persons in 2 months in Ijanikin

The cult war between suspected members of the Aye and Eiye confraternities has led to the killing of four persons in Ijanikin, a Lagos community, in the last two months. The cultists’ battle for supremacy further compounded the fear of residents of the area following another gruesome killing, on Tuesday, of a security guard identified […]

The cult war between suspected members of the Aye and Eiye confraternities has led to the killing of four persons in Ijanikin, a Lagos community, in the last two months.

The cultists’ battle for supremacy further compounded the fear of residents of the area following another gruesome killing, on Tuesday, of a security guard identified as Abiodun.

Abiodun was said to have been hacked to death by an eight-man killer squad in front of a supermarket along Joseph Akinoola Street, Alasia,in the Ijanikin area.

Daily Trust learnt that the residents engaged the security guard two years ago for the job after series of armed robbery attacks.

A witness, who was afraid to disclose his identity, said the assailants, whose ages were put between 18 and 22, had arrived on foot and left the same way unchallenged after macheting Abiodun to death.

Traders, commercial motorcycle operators and shop owners were said to have scampered to safety as the assailants walked away.

“Abbey was killed about 10 metres away from where a wine seller, identified as White, was beaten to death in March with a rod by suspected cult gang members,” he said.

Another witness, a trader in the area who also pleaded anonymity, said, “I was inside my shop when I received a call that I should lock it and go home because the area was about to scatter. As I stood up to lock up, I saw people running into our compound to take refuge. All of us were on the floor while the attack was on.”

Another member of the community said that the police from the Ijanikin Division arrived about one hour after the killers had left to pick Abiodun’s corpse.

The source said that rather than take the corpse to the morgue on Tuesday night, the police dumped the body in front of the station.

“The annoying aspect of it all is that policemen at the Ijanikin Division collected N5000 from Abbey’s aged mother before they released the corpse to her for burial. You can imagine how heartless they are.

We have been attacked at the Alasia bus stop many times by robbers in the morning and at night without the police coming to our rescue. The Divisional Police Officer is aware of the atrocities committed on a daily basis by policemen attached to the station,” the source added.

The Lagos State police spokesman, Deputy Superintendent Bala Elkana, could not be reached on phone yesterday to comment on the issue as his phone was on switch-off.