No fewer than 11 persons have been killed by suspected cult members in Igode and Fakale communities in the Sagamu area of Ogun State. Four persons were also injured while houses and cars were vandalised in the crazy attack that lasted for about 10 hours.
It was learnt that the hoodlums, said to be Aye Confraternity members, had gone on the rampage at about 11am on Wednesday while commemorating their anniversary tagged 7/7.
The grand finale of the anniversary was reportedly held on Thursday, July 7, 2016 at Emuren, a neighbouring community.
It was gathered that the hoodlums, numbering about 25 on motorcycles, came from Emuren, wielding guns and cutlasses.
Their targets were said to be members of the Eiye Confraternity, a rival cult. The bandits, who reportedly wore masks, shot dead three welders at a junction bordering Emuren and Igode.
The welders were said to be returning from a work site on a motorcycle. The rampaging cultists reportedly proceeded to the Fakale community, where they opened fire on a crowd watching a football match in a viewing centre, killing seven persons.
It was learnt that one of the deceased, identified simply as Dare, was a member of the Oodua People’s Congress.
Others were identified as Ibukun, Ismaila, Sunday, and a steel rod seller, Dare Olakanmi. Three of them were said to have been buried.
However, the police had yet to remove the remains of the three welders as of 12pm on Thursday. Four others, who were injured, were said to have been taken to a hospital in Sagamu. When Punch visited the communities on Thursday, it observed that palpable fear had enveloped them.
Many residents were said to have fled while commercial activities had been paralysed as shops were shut. 10 policemen were spotted at a junction in Fakale. The Coordinator of the OPC in the community, Wole Oladunjo, said, “The fight was between Eiye and Aye confraternities. The Aye members are based in Emuren. The OPC had nothing to do with the fight. But surprisingly, they (Aye members) came here on Wednesday and started shooting sporadically. They killed seven persons in a viewing centre.
“One of the deceased was our member. The others killed were not Eiye members. They were hard working youths. Four persons are still in the hospital receiving treatment. The police picked four corpses and three of them have been buried.
“The policemen, who came that evening, were blaring their sirens from afar and this gave those boys the chance to escape.” An OPC member, who identified himself as Ajibola Defence, told Punch that the hoodlums inscribed 7/7 on those killed and on a refrigerator they destroyed inside a shop.
Secretary of the OPC in the community, Idris Lawal, vowed that his members would avenge the killings, adding that the victims were innocent residents. Baale of Fakale, Chief Ganiyu Bisiriyu, lamented the security situation in Ogun State and urged government to ensure the protection of lives and property. The Igode community head, Chief Rafiu Disu, said the bandits also vandalised two houses and a car.
Two rams belonging to one Olalekan Oyenuga were reportedly killed by the hoodlums. The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the killings, saying that the police had restored calm to the area and on the trail of the suspects.”
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