Gbenga Adefuye, the son of Adejoke Adefuye, a 65-year-old woman, who was killed by cult members in the Bariga area of Lagos State, says his mum was on her sick bed when their house was set on fire during a cult clash on Saturday.
Gbenga said Adejoke was moved from her base in Ogun State to stay with her children in the Ilaje area of Lagos State, pending when she would recover.
She was fast asleep when the cultists stormed the residence on Oshinfolarin Street. The gang doused the house with petrol and set it on fire.
She was burnt to death, while other apartments in the house were also burnt. A newly-wedded couple would also have been killed, but for the intervention of policemen from the Bariga Police Division.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Adejoke was the third victim of bloody clashes between cults that were engaged in a supremacy battle.
The Saturday attack was said to be a reprisal for the killing of one Daniel and Abiye, who were shot dead Friday night.
Gbenga, who was away at the time of the incident, said his mother’s corpse was deposited in a mortuary on the Mainland.
Gbenga, a technician, said his sister would have been killed as well.
He said, “My sister had gone to the toilet when the gang arrived and set our house ablaze. She was returning from the toilet when she saw that the passage was on fire, and she quickly fled.
“I don’t know this group and I don’t know their intention, but I leave everything to God. My mum was on her sick bed and was staying with us so that we could take proper care of her.”
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the killings started on Friday.
He added that the hoodlums also vandalised no fewer than 15 vehicles parked by the roadside.
He said, “It was a fight between two factions – Eiye and Aiye confraternities’ members. At first, the hoodlums did not attack any house.
“There were sporadic gunshots which lasted till 3am. On Saturday, we saw that about 15 vehicles had been vandalised and two people had been killed.”
It was learnt that Daniel and Abiye, who were members of the Aiye Confraternity, were killed during the clash.
Another resident, who also begged not to be named, said friends of the slain men attacked the house on Oshinfolarin Street on Saturday.
He said, “They came around 10am. They shot into the air, and doused the house with petrol. The woman was sick and fast asleep.
“The boys wanted to wait till the house was razed. But when they heard the police siren, they fled.”
The officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, assisted by the Lagos State Ambulance Service, later came to remove the woman’s corpse.
A police source said the police had been able to get to the roots of the crisis, and seven suspects had been arrested.
The source said the police got a tip-off that the Eiye members, led by one Ibro, Small Japron, Tesi and Friday Laula, had stormed the street to kill some Aiye members.
He said, “The aim of the Eiye members was to dethrone the Aiye members from the Ebute-Ilaje area. During the clash, they killed Daniel and Abiye.
“The Divisional Police Officer in Bariga, Abdulkareem Adamu, went there with policemen and some of the suspects were arrested.”
The source said the Aiye group, led by one Olajide, aka Chairman, and Ademola, attacked and killed Adejoke.
The General Manager of LASEMA, Michael Akindele, said some other people were injured in the incident, adding that they were treated and discharged.
“However, other occupants of the building might need a temporary shelter,” he said.
