No fewer than three persons were killed in separate cult clashes in the Mushin area of Lagos State and the Lantoro area of Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.
TheNigerian Metro gathered on Monday that the cult clashes which occurred late Friday and Saturday, stemmed from renewed disputes between members of the Aiye confraternity and the Eiye confraternity.
In Ogun State, our correspondent learnt from a community source who pleaded anonymity on Monday that one person identified as Aro was killed by some assailant who attacked him in the Lantoro area of Abeokuta at about 11 pm on Friday.
The source told our correspondent that the assailants pursued Aro into a building in the area and caught up with him, dragged him out of the building and shot at him leaving him in the poll of his blood.
The incident was said to have caused panic in the area as residents scampered for safety.
The source said, “There was a cult clash in Lantoro Abeokuta on Friday. One Aro was killed by some suspected Aiye members. They pursued him into a house and shot him in the head. The police came and took his body away.”
Confirming the incident in a statement on Monday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, identified the victim as 22-year-old Razak Jimoh.
She added that the Divisional Police Officer in the area mobilised to the scene of the incident, recovered the body of the deceased and deposited it at a nearby morgue.
She said, “The Ogun State Police Command has commenced a thorough investigation into the gruesome murder of one Razak Jimoh, male, 22 years old, who was attacked and killed by two masked assailants in Lantoro, Abeokuta on February 13, 2025, at about 11 pm.
“According to an eyewitness report, the deceased ran into a residence near Lantoro while being pursued by two masked men. The assailants forcefully dragged him out to the corridor, where they brutally axed him on the leg before fatally shooting him in the head.
“Upon receiving the distress report, the Divisional Police Officer of Kemta Division immediately mobilised detectives to the crime scene. The victim’s body has since been deposited at the General Hospital for autopsy and further investigation.”
The PPRO condemned the killing while emphasising that a manhunt had begun for the fleeing assailants.
“The Ogun State Police Command strongly condemns this senseless act of violence, which bears possible links to cult-related activities. The Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Ogunlowo, has ordered an immediate manhunt for the perpetrators and assured the public that those responsible will face the full wrath of the law.
“The police command reiterates its firm stance against cultism, violence, and all forms of criminal activities, warning that anyone involved will be brought to justice without hesitation. Residents are urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the nearest police station,” Odutola concluded.
In Lagos State, TheNigerian Metro gathered that a renewed cult clash in the Ilupeju area of Mushin left two people dead in a retaliatory cult clash on Saturday.
A source in the community told our correspondent that some suspected members of Eiye had attacked some Aiye members and killed one person in the early hours of Saturday.
The source noted that the Aiye members in a retaliatory attack on the Eiye members killed one person identified as Debo, bringing the death toll to two.
The source said, “The cult clash in Mushin has escalated again. Two people were killed on Saturday. The clash is between Eiye and Aiye. The Eiye group attacked the Aiyes in the morning and killed one person, and the Aiye went back to attack the Eiye and killed one person too.
“They saw the Eiye guy on a bike and attacked him. His body was left lifeless in the middle of the road. The clashes are becoming too much in Mushin and they are using it as an avenue to rob the residents.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the Lagos State Police Command proved abortive as calls and messages sent to the command’s Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, were unattended to as of the time of filing this report.
Similarly, the state Commissioner of Police, Ishola Olanrewaju, did not respond to calls made to his line on Monday.
