The ugly reminiscence of 2005 to 2017 when cult wars, ritual killings, armed robberies and lastly Badoo blood bath ravaged Ikorodu, surfaced again in recent months, culminating in the brutal murder of four persons including a vulcanizer on Tuesday April 2, 2019 while Ota-Ona, Ladega, Ojubode, Allison, Lowa and Solomade areas of Ikorodu were deserted on Wednesday April 3, 2019.
According to eye witnesses, rival cultists fought themselves and left four dead while they sacked traders and brought commercial activities in the central Ikorodu business district to a standstill on that Wednesday.
Oriwu Sun learnt that it was not a joking matter on that Tuesday as armed cultists wielding dangerous weapons, including guns, machetes, pick axe, etc., bulldozed strategic areas of Ikorodu, shooting and killing their victims while stray bullets flew everywhere.
The cultists were said to have begun their operation on that Tuesday at Ladega street and spread to Ota-Ona. Among the victims was a vulcanizer called Monsuru, while some of the dead ones were spotted at Solomade area.
The following Wednesday, April 3, as if the previous day killings were not enough, the cultists came out to Ladega, Ota-Ona and other locations brandishing their deadly weapons, including AK-47 rifles, as they viciously looked for their rivals to kill.
As at 4pm on that Wednesday, they had sacked all businesses along that axis as traders locked up their shops and fled with their wares for safety.
Our reporters saw Onyabo personnel as they began their own combing and mop up operations to confront the cultists and arrest the ugly situation.
Our correspondents learnt that by the night of that Wednesday, two of the kingpins among the cultists had been arrested and they will be charged to court immediately.
Residents of Ikorodu have been wondering how cultism which seemed to have come to a halt in 2017 when over five hundred (500) of them renounced their membership of various cult group, and even surrendered their weapons to the police force in the presence of security arms at Oba’s palace, suddenly resurrected again.
Some people were of the opinion that the cultists surrendered only a token of their weapons and reserved the more deadly ones, which they are now bringing out.
Others questioned the whereabouts of the anti-cultism squad of the Nigerian police, the army personnel in Ikorodu, and even the Neighbourhood Watch people.” How can all these groups not effectively stop these cultists ravaging the division as in Badoo days?, asked a trader in Ladega.
The question is, therefore, “Who will stop these cultists?”
“These bad elements who are everywhere in Ikorodu division including – Imota, Ijede, Igbogbo, Adamo, Odogunyan, etc., are causing mayhem every day”, said a community leader in Ota Ona.
He believes that some of these boys, who served as political thugs during the just concluded general elections, have no job at present after they were used for the elections; hence, they all are turning their weapons against each other and the society at large.
Even in secondary schools, such as United High School, cultism is now said to be entrenched among the students, who threaten one another at the slightest excuse.
Ikorodu residents are, therefore, appealing to government to boldly confront this threat before it consumes Ikorodu society.