Nine suspected members of the Eiye Confraternity have shot dead two friends, Wasiu Olaitan, 31, and Frank Mmanko, 29, in the Okokomaiko area of Lagos State.
The suspected cultists, who reportedly invaded the area around 6.15pm on three motorcycles, were said to have shot indiscriminately in the area.
A woman and some residents of Ajasa Street and Ogunleye junction in the Okokomaiko area were said to have sustained injuries during the attack.
A friend to the deceased, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent that Olaitan, Mmanko were going to buy slippers when the cultists attacked them.
He said, “The victims were ordinary people. None of them had anything to do with cultism. We were together that day in my house watching television until there was a power outage and we left the room for fresh air outside.
“Mmanko asked us to accompany him to buy slippers because the one he was putting on had become old. The three of us went to buy the slippers.
“As we were walking back home, we saw some guys with guns on motorcycles. While one of the deceased was calling my attention to the fact that the guys did not look like policemen, they disembarked from the motorcycles and started shooting indiscriminately.
“We decided to flee. I ran into one compound and scaled the fence to another building. My friends were running straight and entered into a compound to hide.”
According to him, the cultists pursued Olaitan and Mmanko into the building and killed them.
He added that the residents were able to identify some of the cultists, including a soldier.
A relative of Olaitan said the cultists usually come from Okokomaiko to the area to attack the and kill anybody they meet.
He said, “I learnt that some policemen were eating and drinking at one woman’s shop on Ora Street and parked their vehicle there. The cultists killed my relation, Olaitan, who hailed from Kwara State. He was 31 years old and was an aluminium fabricator.
“The incident happened around 6.15pm on Monday. We are in danger here. People have moved out of the area in large numbers; nobody comes here to rent houses anymore. There are many vacant rooms and flats. The indigenes are not saying anything about the unrest and the killings.”
He stated that on March 24, 2019, some Aiye Confraternity members came into the community through the PPL bus stop around 10am and shot dead one Adekanmi Adaramola, the son of the late Professor of Jurisprudence at the Lagos State University, Funso Adaramola.
He said, “On May 11, during the Ramadan around 8pm, the cultists also killed one boy, who was known as Waifa; he was a soft drink vendor at LASU.
“Two days ago, they killed Wasiu Olaitan and Frank Mmanko. Mmanko was a member of the St. Anne Catholic Church at the PPL. They also shot at a pregnant woman and a nursing mother, among others. A bullet was extracted from one man’s ankle.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, confirmed the killing of two persons during the cult attack.
According to him, the police have arrested 14 suspects, who have been charged.
He added that investigation was ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to the killings.
Elkana stated, “Two persons were killed in that attack and a woman was injured and she is recovering. We have arrested 14 suspects and charged them. It was a cult attack. We are on the trail of the ringleader, one Sola Okoko Danger.
“The command’s Anti-Cultism Unit and the Operation Crush have taken over the matter. Investigation is ongoing to unravel those who carried out the killing of innocent people in the Okokomaiko area.”
