The annual Oro cultural festival held in Ikorodu area of Lagos has turned bloody as suspected members of Aiye and Eiye cult gang engaged themselves in a clash. Five members of the secret cult groups died during the fight while several others sustained bullet and machete wounds.
The gangs were said to have engaged themselves with guns, cutlasses, bottles , charms and other dangerous weapons. A witness, Tope Ogun told Cornerstone News that members of Aiye took advantage of the Oro festival to attack members of a rival gang, Eiye. He said that in the first attack that took place around Imota area of Ikorodu, was caused by Aiye members while members of Eiye went on a reprisal attack at the Owusu area.
Ogun said that the first death was recorded at Imota when members of Aiye hacked down a suspected member of Eiye. It was gathered that the killing of one Taofeek; a suspected member of Eiye who was on his was to Agric bus stop, sparked off the reprisal attack at Imota.
Kamoru Tayelolu told our correspondent that the war started on Saturday night but spilt over to Sunday and that by the time police restored normalcy not less than five people lost their lives. A police officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the war of supremacy by the cultists had been on since two weeks, but that they cashed in on the festival to unleash terror on themselves and the community.
“Members of Aiye group seized the opportunity of the annual Oro festival to strike, with retaliation by Eiye group who staged a reprisal. “The attack and counter-attack led to heightened fears in remote and its environs as many scampered for safety.
Imota and adjoining communities including Adamo, Araromi, Isiu, Emuren, Igode have been under siege in the last three years. If not for the intervention of the police, the battle would have consumed many lives
