TheNewsGuru

Tag: cultists

  • Cultists kill six in Edo to mark one year anniversary of leaders’ deaths

    Cultists kill six in Edo to mark one year anniversary of leaders’ deaths

    Two rival cult groups have reportedly murdered six persons in Edo to mark the first anniversary of the killing of two rival leaders of Aye and Eiye confraternities.

    The State Police Commissioner, Lawal Jimeta who confirmed the killings, added that 15 suspects had been arrested in connection with the killings.

    The victims were said to have been killed on Tuesday at Nomayo Junction, Aifuwa and Three House area of Upper Sakponba Road, in Ikpoba-Okha local government area of the city.

    An eye witness reportedly said that over 10 persons hid inside his shop at Three House Junction, while some cult members were shooting sporadically.

    He added that four persons were killed at the notorious 3rd Junction.

    Policemen were later drafted to 3rd Junction to maintain peace and order in the area.

    Residents of the area however accused the policemen of arresting innocent traders and artisans.

    The state CP, Jimeta who disclosed that effort were on to stem the violence, warned those involved to desist from it or be made to face the wrath of the law.

    Meanwhile, the state government has condemned the spike in cult-related killings in the state.

    The government, in a statement by the Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said it would not condone any act of violence or anyone who exploited delinquent youths to cause mayhem in the state.

    Osagie added that it had become expedient to sound a note of warning to anyone disrupting public peace and safety, noting that security agencies would spare no resources in bringing violators to book.

    According to him, “We are working closely with the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant security agencies in the state to arrest the rise in cult clashes. We assure that these clashes will be contained.”

    He cautioned parents to keep a close eye on their children and monitor their whereabouts so that they would not be used to do the bidding of desperate persons.

  • Sad! Seven murdered in Lagos cult clash

    Sad! Seven murdered in Lagos cult clash

    Not lesser than seven people were reportedly killed during a violent clash between two rival cults in the Ijede area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.

    The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, who confirmed the incident, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, on Wednesday, that the KK and Eiye confraternities were involved in the fracas.

    Elkana said the command immediately responded and arrested 10 suspects.

    He elucidated that the fracas, leading to deaths, started when an argument ensued between two members of the groups, with one of the fighters stabbed.

    The police spokesman said the gang, whose member was stabbed, believing him to be dead, launched a vengeful attack on members of the rival gang

    He said the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumisu, immediately called for an emergency meeting and summoned the Area Commander, Divisional Police Officers and the tactical commanders where the incident occurred.

    According to him, the police chief also deployed the Special Strike Force men to arrest the cultists and deal with the situation.

    Reacting to the development, the Chairman, Ijede Local Council Development Area, Mr Fatiu Salisu, said the clash started on Monday when a man was reportedly stabbed with a bottle and was rushed to the Ikorodu General Hospital.

    Salisu said the man was rejected due to the nature of his injuries and he was later referred to a teaching hospital, where he was attended to.

    According to him, members of his group thought that he had died, and thereafter embarked on a revenge mission in the community.

    He stated, “I was at a meeting in Ikeja when I was called that a member of the Eiye Confraternity had been stabbed, and when I came, I saw one corpse at the roundabout.”

     

  • Suspected cultists charged with robbery, murder of ASP

    Suspected cultists charged with robbery, murder of ASP

    Six suspected cultists on Thursday appeared before an Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, over alleged robbery and killing of an Assistant Superintendent of Police.

    The defendants are, Akinwale Bamido, 25; Olanrewaju Bamido, 22; John Matter, 21; Moses Adeniyi, 23; Shola Olatoye, 25, andOkechukwu Augustine, 18.

    They are facing a four-count charge of conspiracy, murder, robbery and membership of an unlawful society.

    Their pleas were not taken.

    The Prosecutor, Insp. Maria Dauda told the court that they committed the offences on Nov. 27 at 8.18p.m., at ‘D’ Spot, Badagry Expressway, Ijanikin, Lagos.

    Dauda alleged that the defendants robbed 45-year-old ASP Abiodun Akinde of his phones, car keys and N20,000 as well as shot him dead.

    “The defendants, who belong to a secret cult called “Aiye confraternity” shot Akinde to death,” he said.

    According to the prosecutor, the offences contravene Sections 42(a)(b), 223, 233 and 297 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    The Magistrate, Mrs Monisola Ayinde, ordered that the defendants should be kept in the Ikoyi Prison pending advice of the state director of public prosecutions.

    Ayinde adjourned the case until May 20 for mention.

  • Daredevil cultists invade corps members’ residence in Bayelsa, kill two

    Daredevil cultists invade corps members’ residence in Bayelsa, kill two

    There was outrage in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Thursday following gruesome murder of corps members by cultists during one of their robbery operations.

    It was gathered the cult members, in what has become a regular occurrence in the capital city, stormed the corps members’ residence along the School Road in Swali and shot three of them.

    While two of the victims were said to have been confirmed dead at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Yenagoa, the third one was said to be lying critically injured and receiving treatment at the hospital.

    Cult groups have overrun Yenagoa killing and robbing residents at will under circumstances that seem to have overwhelmed the police and other security agencies.

    Residents lampooned the police and other security outfits for their inability to tame rampaging gunmen, who shoot victims at slightest provocation and rob them of their smart phones, cash, laptops and other valuables.

    They wondered how a small town like Yenagoa with headquarters of the 16th Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy, Mobility Command of the Airforce, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe (ODS), the police, the DSS and other security outfits could be overrun by cult members.

    The attacked corps members were identified as 30-year-old Popoola Oluwatobi Olamide, a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and an indigene of Oyo State; George Onokpoma and Gbenga Dada.

    Popoola was reportedly shot dead at the spot, Onokpoma died at the FMC while Gbenga was said to be receiving treatment for gunshot wounds at the medical centre.

    The room where the corps members were attacked was riddled with bullets and the floor had thick blood stains of the victims signifying the horror that led to their death.

    Narrating how the incident occurred, a resident of the area, who spoke in confidence, said the hoodlums were about seven during the attack that occurred at about 9pm.

    He said: “We heard gunshots from the direction of the corps members’ room.

    ‘’One of the attacked corps members was heard screaming repeatedly and asking what was their crime. Another gunshot sounded and there was silence”.

    Another neighbour also said that the victims, who were discharging their primary responsibilities at a private school, the Victory Group of Schools, close to their residence, were awake marking examination scripts of their students, when the gunmen barricaded the building.

    “We are saddened by this incident. The deceased corps members were quiet and easy-going individuals.

    ‘’They hardly kept late night. They were always sitting at their doorpost whenever there was power outage,” he said.

  • Alleged cultists attack Edo schools, injure pupils

    Some suspected cult members, on Tuesday, interrupted academic activities at the Oba Akenzua Secondary School and the Ihogbe College in Benin, Edo State.

    The prompt intervention of police personnel, however, saved what could have been a free-for-all, as several pupils were reportedly wounded with knives and cutlasses by the invaders.

    Both schools are adjacent to each other and are located on the ICE Road, off Wire Road, Benin.

    Observers said the teachers and pupils ran in different directions when the alleged cultists started shooting and attacking the pupils.

    According to reports, the supposed cultists were heading towards a target in the area when some pupils, suspected to be junior members of a rival cult group, started throwing stones at them.

    Thereafter, the cultists stormed the schools and started attacking any pupil in sight.

    One of the pupils was said to have been seriously injured and was rushed to the hospital.

    Two of the suspected attackers, who were arrested by the police, were crying and insisting that they were innocent.

    A resident of the area said cult-related attacks had been on the rise in recent times.

    The Edo State Commissioner for Education, Emmanuel Agbale, who confirmed the incident, said no student was killed in the attack.

    Agbale said policemen were quickly conscripted to the area and the cultists were chased away.

    “The pupils of both schools have always engaged each other in fights. Security will be beefed up in the area. Plans are also on to merge both schools. For now, the schools will not be shut down due to the attack,” the commissioner declared.

     

  • Police arrest 124 suspected cultists, recover 1000 wraps of Indian hemp

    Over 124 persons suspected to be cultists have been nbbed by the police from various parts of Anambra State.

    The State Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed, in statement, on Saturday, noted that the arrest were made during a raid on criminal hideouts and black spots in the state.

    He said 37 of the suspects have confessed and were charged to court, adding that 53 were screened and released while 34 others were undergoing interrogation.

    “The state Commissioner of Police Garba Umar had directed for an aggressive raids on criminal hideouts and blackspots in the state to ensure people of the state, both at home and in diaspora celebrate Christmas and new year without hindrance or molestation.

    “Between 26/11/2018 to date, the State Command through its Special Anti Cultism Squad/FSARS and Divisional Police headquarters have arrested total number of 124 suspected cultists/hoodlums from various parts of the state,” he said.

    Mohammed revealed that the Command also recovered 4 locally made pistols, 6 cutlasses, 2 axes, over 1000 wraps of dry leaves suspected to be Indian hemp and 2 regalia for Aye and Junior Vickings Confraternity, respectively.

    He emphasized on the Command’s determination to ensure that criminals had no hiding place in the State especially during the festive season and would deal decisively with those apprehended in accordance with the law.

    Police arrest 20 suspected cultists in Eket

  • Cultists kill Anambra bachelor one week to wedding day

    A middle aged man, Abuchi Edekobi, reportedly lost his life on Saturday following a cult clash in Obosi, Idemili North local government area of Anambra State.

    The deceased, allegedly killed together with his friend, Somto Egbe by a rival cult group, was said to be preparing for his wedding a week before he met his sudden death.

    The duo, suspected to be members of Vikings fraternity, were allegedly attacked by a rival group suspected to be members of the Black Axe fraternity.

    A resident, who identified himself as Charles, said the attack by the rival group was a revenge mission over recent steady killings of their members in the area.

    He said, “Edekobi, popularly called Ija, had left Obosi for Ghana at the heat of the cult crisis where he spent about five years before his return.

    “He was preparing for his wedding scheduled to hold on the 29th of this month before he met his untimely death.

    “He was even in a burial party the same day he died and was sighted spraying money on a notable musician without knowing he was being trailed by those who later killed him.”

    Another resident, who did not want to be named, dismissed the report of cult activities in the area, saying the deceased was killed by his business associates.

    The officer in charge of the Special Anti- Cultism Squad, CSP Christopher Bassey, when contacted, said the force was on top of the situation, but declined further comment on the incident.

     

  • Cultists kill 16-year old undergraduate in Bayelsa

    Suspected cultists yesterday killed a teenager in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, in a bid to snatch her mobile phone.

    The 16-year-old girl, Siefa Fred, a 100 level student of the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU) was shot dead while running an errand for her mother in the state capital.

    Fred, who was at home following the strike action declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), was said to have gone out at about 8pm to buy roasted meat popularly known as suya for her mother.

    She was said to be close to her residence when the hoodlums opened fire on her in a bid to snatch her phone.

    Her mother was said to have rushed to the scene following the gunshots only to see her daughter in a pool of her blood.

    The helpless mother raised the alarm that attracted sympathizers, who rushed the girl to the hospital, where she was confirmed dead.

    Investigations showed that the incident was one too many as innocent residents in Yenagoa are constantly attacked and killed by cultists, in a bid to rob them of their mobile phones.

    “The incident happened at about 8pm beside Zenith Bank in Amarata area. The suspected street cultists, who were on the prowl, shot her and ran away with her phone leaving her dead on the ground.

    “Resident of the area came out and rushed her to the hospital, but she later died. Her is currently at the mortuary,’’ said a source.

    The killing of the girl sparked outrage as residents condemned security agencies, especially the police for failing to contain cultists in the state.

    One of the residents identified simply as Moses said: “It is as if Bayelsa is a lawless state. These boys are everywhere with arms killing and maiming people just to snatch their valuables especially phones. They operate at night and in daytime without hinderances. We are not safe. Imagine the cruel way the life of young and vibrant Seifa Fred was snuffed out by them(cultists).

    “The government must rise to the occasion. They should partner with security agencies to stop this killing. The government should not allow cultists to form their own government”, he added.

    Recall that suspected cultists had been terrorising Obele, Abor Road, Saint Peters area, Amarata, Kpansia, Opolo and Tombia areas, described as red spots in Yenagoa.

    Friends of the deceased she was chatting with them on the social media, a few minutes before her death.

    One of her friends, Gideon Owili said: “Bayelsa state is really not safe. Seifa Fred was online a few minutes ago. She was shot dead because of her smart phone. She gave them the phone, but they still shot her. I am in tears and deep sorrow.’’

    The leader of the Egbesu Brotherhood, Apostle Bodmas Kemepadei, described the killing as unfortunate and called on the youth to stop the violence.

    “Cultism and abuse of drugs is on the increase, there is no day that passes in Yenagoa, that gunshots are not heard. People are being killed like chickens, yet no reports of arrests made.

    “We should join hands together to restore peace in our state, cultism affects us all, if you are not a cultist then you are a victim, don’t wait for this government, security is everybody’s business”.

    The state government condemned the killing of Seifa Fred and called for collective efforts to stop agents of death.

    The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson appealed to the security agencies to be alive to their duties.

    He said: “We need to get the security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities. This is no time to apportion blames. We all need to take responsibility for our collective security.

    “We must all collectively condemn this and rise up to confront these criminal gangs terrorizing our neighborhoods. The perpetrators are not spirit. They live among us. Let us not be silent. Let’s not be afraid or shy away from reporting them because it could be anybody next”.

    The police in a statement signed by its spokesman in the state, Mr Asinim Butswat, confirmed the killing and promised to arrest the culprits.

    Butswat said: “On 8 November, 2018, at about 2030 hours, unknown suspected cultists at Amarata, Yenagoa, shot one Seiyefa Fred ‘f’ 16 years, while trying to dispossess her of her mobile phone. The victim was immediately rushed to the hospital, where she was confirmed dead.

    “The Police have swung into action and are working on a promising lead on the identity of the suspects and efforts have been intensified to arrest them.

    “The command has embarked on community engagement meetings with relevant youth bodies in a bid to stem the tide of cult related activities. Members of the public should continue to assist the Police with useful information to combat crime in Bayelsa State”.

  • Police arrest 19 suspected cultists in Badagry

    The police on Wednesday said they had arrested 19 suspected cultists in Imeke, a suburb of Badagry, Lagos State.

    SP Samson Akhiromen, the Divisional Police Officer, (DPO) in Badagry, disclosed this when the new District Correspondent of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) for the area, Mr Raji Rasak, visited the divisional office.

    Akhiromen said that the suspects were arrested at about 11 p.m. on July 27 when the suspects were having a meeting to carry out their nefarious activities.

    According to him, a reliable source from the city gave useful information that led to the arrest of 18 males and one femalefemale suspects.

    The DPO, who led the team of policemen that arrested the suspects, said they were caught with two machetes, nine mobile phones and charms.

    “We got information from a reliable member of the public that some cult members were meeting in Imeke area.

    “I led a team of officers under my division to the place and 19 suspected cultists were arrested.

    “Although they denied being cult members, they said they were traditional worshippers known as `Ogun worshippers’.

    “But their members who had renounced membership recently identified them and they were subsequently arrested immediately,” he said.

    Akhiromen said that the case had been transferred to the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, for further investigation.

    He urged members of the public to always provide the police with useful information on the activities of criminal elements in the society.

    He added that with such information, communities would be free from criminals and cultists.

     

  • Police arrest 5 cultists in Ilorin

    The Kwara Police Command on Saturday confirmed the arrest of five persons in connection with violence that erupted among suspected Cult members at Agaka area of llorin, the Kwara capital.

    Mr Samuel Okasanmi the spokesperson of the state Police command disclosed this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in llorin.

    According to him, the command is still making some arrests, and has deployed its personnel to Agaka to ensure law and order.

    The police image maker assured residents in the area to go about their legitimate business, stating that peace had since returned to the area.

    When NAN correspondent visited Agaka, all shops in the area were locked as traders desert the area.
    Security operatives were seen keeping vigil to ensure maintenance of law and order.

    The Chairman of Agaka Traders Association, Alhaji AbdulRahman Mohamned said the violence has paralysed business activities as most shop owners have deserted the area.

    He appealed to the police to ensure that peace returns to the area.