A fierce clash between two cult groups – Eiye and Aiye confraternities have led to the death of seven individuals in the Bariga area of Lagos State.
According to reports, the clash has left many stuck inside their houses, while many traders have been unable to go about their usual activities.
One of the residents, Gbenga Lawal who spoke to Punch, explained that troubled started when one Makinde Abiodun was killed while hanging out with a friend in the area.
He narrated, “The fight happened in front of my house; the guy was having a drink with his friends at a pub around 8 pm on Thursday when the cultists came and started beating him with charms. Seeing this, I took my kids and ran inside and it was later that I heard people saying that Makinde had been killed.
“When I came out, I heard people saying that after the cultists had beaten him with charms, they used machetes to cut him in the head and body till he died. We did not hear any gunshot; they used machetes on him and when they were done, they ran away.”
However, another resident, Agunbaide, who witnessed the clashes, revealed that before Mankinde’s death, another suspected cultist, Kazeem, had been killed, and since the former’s death, a total of five persons have been confirmed dead.
Agunbaide stated, “The fight is between the Eiye and Aiye cult members and all these cultists rarely use guns to kill themselves; what they use mostly is machete. Last week, the cultists used machete to kill a rival, Kazeem, at Idi-Aba. On Thursday, another cultist, Makinde popularly called Ma-Ke, was also attacked and killed with machete around the Wemimo area.
“The cultists also used machete to kill another member, Salami, at Odunsi on Saturday. At Ilaje, around the Majock filling station, a cultist, Tessy, was killed with machete. Another cultist, S-Money, was also killed around the canal area of Atifase, and two others were shot dead around the canal area of Somolu.”
Confirming the attacks, the Lagos State Police spokesperson, Bala Elkana, explained that a traditional ruler, Baale Kola Odunuga had filed a report of an unclaimed corpse on a street in Bariga. But the corpse has since been confirmed as the body of Makinde Abiodun.
Narrating the interventions made so far, the Bala said, “On Thursday, June 6, 2019, around 10.15pm, one Chief Kola Odunuga, the Otun Baale of Ayetoro, reported that the dead body of a young man was sighted by the street corner at No. 31 Ayodele Street, off Wemimo Street.
“A patrol team was mobilised to the scene and the corpse was recovered. A close examination revealed the identity of the deceased as a notorious cultist, Makinde Abiodun, alias Ma-ke, 30. The corpse was evacuated to the Military Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination.
“So far, our investigation revealed that members of two rival cults were attacking each other on revenge missions following the killing of the ring leaders. We have nine of those cult members, who carried out the killings, in our custody and we are going after more. Only two people were confirmed dead during the clashes because we were the ones who removed the corpses.”
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