Three streets at Odogunyan community in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area of Lagos State have been plunged into mourning, following the death of three people, NewTelegraph reports.
Suspected cultists, who allegedly swooped on the three streets, killed three people after they couldn’t get the person they went for.
The three streets are Omo Jesu, Oyewunmi and Community. The cultists were said to have ridden into the communities on motorcycles and unleashed hell on the residents, leaving sorrow, tears and blood.
The cultists first went to Oyewunmi Street, hunting for a man identified as Jasper, alleged to be a member of Aiye Confraternity. Fortunately for Jasper, he had already left home before the arrival of the killer squad. Members of the squad, miffed at narrowly missing their target, vented their anger on residents, killing three people.
The three people killed were identified as Olatayo Adeyemi alias Ballo, Kemi and David. The killing spree occurred on May 13, at 9p.m., causing confusion and tension in the community.
One of the residents, Mrs. Felicia Njoku, described the murder of the three deceased as “a great disaster for every one of us.”
She said:
“On that fateful day of the attack, everything started on a good note, but suddenly the peace was shattered as daredevil cultists gunned down three people in cold blood. Adeyemi was the second person killed by the cultists. On the day of the incident, I was with Adeyemi’s wife, Mama Grace. Her shop is close to mine. We were discussing my son’s recent Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) when her husband arrived and joined us in the discussion. He later left for a nearby gambling shop.
“Before he entered the gambling shop, he ordered for a soft drink from a nearby shop. He was sipping the drink and checking the game he wanted to play, when the cultists suddenly rode past on motorcycles and opened fire on him. When we heard the gunshots, every one of us ran away in different directions. After the dust raised settled, we moved close to the scene of the gunshots and saw Adeyemi. He was shot in the chest. He was rushed to a private hospital in the community where he was confirmed dead on arrival.”
Njoku disclosed that for long, the community had been having cult-related issues. She called on government and security agents to beam their searchlights on Odogunyan community, stressing that everyone was now petrified of cult attacks and living in fear.
She noted: “I don’t know how Adeyemi’s widow is going to manage without her husband. She is just a photographer and now saddled with fending for four children alone.”
Adeyemi’s distraught sister, Joy, said that her brother wouldn’t have been killed if there was power supply.
She said: “When Adeyemi returned from sawmill, where he works, he parked his car and went to buy soft drink from a nearby shop. After he bought the drink, he went to his wife’s shop and from there to the gambling shop. Someone flashed torchlight at him and before we knew what was happening, they opened fire on him. They shot him in the chest.
“His wife later told us that she saw the cultists on their motorcycles, when they were corking their gun. She couldn’t scream for help, not knowing that it was the same gun that would kill her husband. His children have been asking for their father. Since the incident, the wife has not been able to sleep. She has been weeping every day. I’m using the opportunity to call on the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Muazu Zubairu, to fish out the killers of my brother.”
A witness said the cultists started operation from Oyewunmi Street about 8.30p.m., before moving to other streets. At Oyewunmi Street, the marauding cultists snatched a phone and money from a lady identified as Kemi and eventually shot her to death. They then proceeded to Community Street where Adeyemi was killed.
A resident of Oyewunmi Street, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “The killing of Kemi was traumatic to everyone in the community. This is because she was an easy going lady.
“Kemi was returning from work on that fateful day. They actually came for Jasper, but he was not at home. They got angry and attacked Kemi after collecting her phone and money. We have witnessed a series of cult killings in our community before now, but it has always been between rival groups. They have never attacked innocent residents like this. Immediately after shooting Kemi to death, they rode off, leaving her in a pool of blood. Sympathisers rushed her to a private hospital, where she was confirmed dead.”
When our correspondent tried to locate and speak with Kemi’s parents, residents said that they had gone to stay with their first son.
However, Kemi’s younger brother was at home. When he tried to speak about the murder of his sister, he became very emotional. He also refused to disclose his name.
He said: “I was not at home when my sister was killed. I learnt she was returning from work when she was attacked. My late sister was a very caring person. There are many security lapses in our community. I don’t understand why motorcyclists should be allowed into streets at night. Right now, we have resigned to fate as Christians.
“I heard my sister was not the only person killed on that day. I learnt two other persons were killed at Community and Omo Jesu streets. We are law-abiding citizens; we don’t want to take laws into our hands. We know what to do. It is a big loss for us. We want adequate security in our community.”
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