Four persons have been confirmed dead, while seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the renewed secret cult clash which erupted at Sagamu, in the Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State.
According to Leadership Newspaper, the cult clash, which was said to have started last Friday the 15th September in Sagamu, involved members of the Eiye and Aiye Confraternities who have over the years, been engaging each other in a supremacy battle in the Remo town of Ogun East Senatorial district.
While the state command of the Nigeria Police declared only four persons dead, sources within the town told LEADERSHIP that about 25 youths have so far lost their lives in the incident which turned the areas that included: Agbowa, just behind Ewusi Palace, Makun, Ijagba, Ajaka, Isale Oko and Sabo communities.
Sources within Sagamu, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said many of the victims were innocent souls that included three secondary schools students that had visited the barbing saloon to cut their hairs on Sunday in preparation for the school’s resumption.
“The target was actually the owner of the barbing saloon, but when he wasn’t found there, the cultists decided to kill those that were found in the shop. About four people were also killed on Ode Lemo road under the same circumstances. The target of the cultists was also not around when they came calling in the middle of the night, but they killed the four people they met in his room. It is terrible and no one can really say this is why they are fighting.
“It’s a menace that is giving Sagamu a bad name. One thing I have also realised is that we now have so much of drugs in the town. You will always see these boys in different joints and corners with drugs, I think government should look towards that direction too because once you have taken drugs you can do whatever you like”.
The spokesman of the Ogun State Police Command Omolola Odutola said the suspects were arrested after a raid led by an assistant commissioner of police.
“Upon receiving the information, the Area Commander swiftly mobilised more personnel to the scene in order to prevent the clash from escalating and to apprehend the cultists involved as a result, seven suspected cultists were arrested, and further investigations led to the recovery of a firearm, three live cartridges,” she said about the Sunday incident.
“The individuals apprehended are Asaiye Omolaja, Azeez Nofiu, Mathew Adewale, and Bolaji Ogunkemaya. It is worth noting that Bolaji Ogunkemaya was found with the four deceased persons in the same room where the killings occurred. One individual, Wasiu, managed to escape before the authorities arrived.
“During the raid, Bolaji Ogunkemaya provided critical information, stating that their leader, known as Azubuike aka Better, had been arrested by the Area Commander a fortnight ago. This information underscores the commitment of the police to dismantle these criminal networks,” the spokesperson added.