Rasaq Ogundare’s lanky physique bellied his obsession with pulling the trigger when hunting for members of rival cult gangs in the Ijoko area of Ado Odo/Ota Local Government of Ogun State.
For many years, the 25-year-old school dropout and leading member of Eiye confraternity terrorised perceived opponents in the community until he was arrested by detectives from the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).
Ogundare, aka Babalawo Poly, said he had killed some people, including one Tosin and Dare, who were Aiye cult boys in the community.
He narrated how friends in the Ijoko neighbourhood initiated him into cultism, saying:”I am a member of Eiye Confraternity. We have been terrorising Ijoko community and killing people for some time now. I joined the cult group about two years ago when some boys in the neighbourhood initiated me through beating and alcoholic drink.
“I have killed so many people, including one Tosin and Dare,who are members of Aiye Confraternity. The duo were deadly too, and we used to hunt for Aiye members because they can kill too. Whenever we attacked Aiye members, they would abandon their motorcycles and sundry items and we would sell them.”
In the neighbourhood of Owode, a rustic community also in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government, Ogun State, the mention of Ahmed Kazeem elicited fears among his peers and residents. His notoriety as a kingpin of Eye Confraternity is an open book, so much so that he flaunted his membership of the outlawed group like a wedding ring. But his trajectory of violence terminated albeit on a tragic note on July 2, 2016 after he was hacked and chased to death by members of Aiye Confraternity, a rival cult group.
Eyewitnesses revealed that the 28-year-old, popularly called T-Cabal, was ambushed and mutilated at dusk but still managed to escape from his assailants. He was however pursued until he fell into an abandoned soak away pit and died. His death brought to eight the number of his lieutenants killed by Aiye members, who have also lost not a few colleagues too in recent times.
Men of Sango Police Division, who foiled an attempt to give the cult lord secret burial and recovered his body, had a hectic time leaving the community following a blockade mounted by members of a rival group who insisted on taking the body of the slain youth away for unknown reasons.
Four days later, a barber identified simply as Chicago in the Iloye area of Temidire, was shot dead in broad daylight after suspected members of Aiye Confraternity posing as customers visited his salon. The late barber, who was said to have gone out at the time his killers got to his salon, was called on his mobile phone by his assailants without an inkling that they were after his life. As soon as he arrived his shop, the men who rode to his salon on a motorbike dragged him out and pumped hot bullets into his body, while bystanders scampered into safety.
Sources within the community however revealed that Chigaco did not die but has fled to a neighbouring town where he is currently undergoing treatment for gunshot injuries.
Findings revealed that the notorious cultists have been holding sway in Joju, Temidire, Iloye, Ijoko, Sango, Owode and Plaza areas of the council area.
Death by scoreline
The continuous cult war, according to findings, has festered because rival gangs derive joy in counting the number of casualties as a mark of supremacy because the number of members killed determines the supremacy or strength of one cult group over the others.
It will be recalled that one Tope Ajibade was shot dead by suspected Aiye cult boys in February, this year. The late Ajibade, a barber cum singer, was ambushed last Good Friday on Okewole Street, off Arigbabu Street in the Adalemo area of Sango-Ota on his way to church in company with his friends who also sustained gunshot injuries.
It was said that Aiye cult boys had rejoiced over the killing of the 25-year-old barber, claiming a 6-1 victory over Eiye Confraternity.
Penultimate week, three youths, including one Damilare and two others, were killed by suspected Eiye members in Iloye, who also proclaimed and celebrated a new ‘score line’ that gave them an edge over Aiye members.
Inside sources said it’s 14 -8 scoreline in favour of dreaded Eiye cult boys going by recent killings, some of which were not brought to the attention of the police by the parents of the victims and residents.
Politics/transport unions factor
Investigations also revealed the political undertone behind the rivalry between the cult groups-Eiye, Aiye and Buccaneers. For example, Eiye Confraternity is said to be loyal to a dominant political party in the town, while Aiye works for a rival political party.
It was also learnt that Eiye members work for a particular transport union and an association of commercial motorcyclists otherwise called Okada to the chagrin of Aiye members, who have since resolved to exterminate their archrival in order to enjoy the spoils of loyalty to the political party and transport unions.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Powerful politicians are using the boys to intimidate their opponents. They give them money and provide ammunition which they use to attack perceived opponents within Ota and its environs. The cheap money they receive from politicians is the reason why they cannot engage in any legitimate endeavour or job.”
Land grabbing/touting
Findings revealed that the cult boys also assist unscrupulous land grabbers in launching a barage of violence to take ownership of disputed property on retainership basis. It was gathered that the boys are paid between N40,000 to N50,000 monthly to ‘protect’ landed properties in Ota axis.
“Their leaders make not less than N300, 000 on the average monthly from land grabbing activities and touting at various motor and okada parks. Transport union leaders engage the services of the boys to perpetuate and consolidate themselves in office by sending them to attack and intimidate their opponents,” said a resident of Temidire, who declined his identity for security reasons.
The complicity of cult boys in land grabbing in Ota and adjoining communities was confirmed by Ogundare shortly after he was arrested.
He said:” I also take part in land grabbing activities and I work with a monarch’s group to visit construction sites in the community. I don’t know whether my parents are aware of my arrest because they had warned me not to get involved in crime but I did not heed their warning until I was caught in the act.The reality of my parents’ homily has since dawned on me.”
Robbery
Not a few cult boys have also been arrested for armed robbery and stealing lately. For example, Ogundare and his accomplice, Raimi Ogunkunle, 25, who were apprehended by police after a trail confessed to have robbed innocent residents of valuables, including motorcycles.
Hideout
Members of Aiye Confraternity usually congregate at a hotel in the Iloye area, where chieftains of the group take decisions before visiting violence on rival gangs. The owner of the hotel, it was gathered, had worked for a former governor of the state but was arrested a few days ago by men of Sango Police Division.
The owner of the hotel, aka Roja, who was fingered by police as the godfather of Eiye cult boys has since been arrested alongside eight other suspected cultists and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, Abeokuta.
Our correspondent gathered that Eiye members meet at a hideout owned by their alleged godfather cum leader, aka Jabot, who has also been arrested by the police and is currently detained at SCID office in Abeokuta.
Arrest
In their unrelenting bid to contain the orgy of violence perpetrated by the cult boys, the police have made a number of arrests of members of cult groups and their godfathers.
In the last few weeks, no fewer than 26 Eiye and Aiye members have been apprehended by the Sango Police Division and Ota Area Command.
Earlier in the year, a former Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Sango Police Station, Mr. Saheed Egbeyemi, who is the current Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force on Sanitation and Special Offences, foiled a murder attempt by suspected Eiye boys on a groom on his wedding day. The suspects who had disguised as guests to the party were apprehended before they could strike in Ijoko community, following a tip off.
The Area Command also averted what would have been a bloodbath on July 7, following intelligence report that cult boys were planning to kill people to commemorate their anniversary.
Policemen were deployed in strategic parts of the town to prevent the cult boys from mixing blood with their feast by killing members of rival groups.
About 14 suspected cultists were rounded up before they could carry out their dastardly act. The list included: Shogbesan Iskil Oluwaseun; Olabisi Abidoye; Yinka Soyinka;Adeleke Afeez; Bosewoluwalonsola Afolabi; Mayowa Ademuyiwa; Adesayo Michael; Abine Monday; Oluwafemi Showunmi; Mathew Gabriel; Idris Muritala; Tunde Fatai; Ayo Usman and Durojaiye Sakiru.
Six of the suspected cultists: Mathew Gabriel, 28; Oluwafemi Showunmi. 19; Idris Muritala,20; Tunde Fatai,26; Ayo Usman,31 and Durojaiye Sakiru, who had allegedly confessed to being members of Eiye and Aiye cult groups, were yesterday arraigned for cultism and conspiracy at an Ota Magistrate’s Court and has been remanded at Ibara Prisons in Abeokuta, while the case has been adjourned to September 9.
About nine others, including Ajayi Babajide,27, aka Jabot; Rotimi Awodeyi, 50, aka Roja; Taiye Babalola,18,;Victor Uzor,21; Lagundoye Nurudeen,28;Adekunle Oladipo,50;Dare Awodeyi, 42; Kehinde Lawal, 33 and Imole Bamgbose,24, were also arrested and are still being interrogated by operatives of SCID in Abeokuta.
Our correspondent gathered that the cult boys had also unleashed terror on innocent residents. A community leader who asked not to be named said a number of residents have been robbed by cult boys in Temidire, Iloye and other communities under the council area.
She said: “I want the state government to come up with adequate security measures to contain the killer gangs because they also robbed residents and shop owners after engaging themselves in a bloody fight.
“They dispossessed residents of valuables, including cash, phones and laptops before escaping from the scene on motorbikes.”
A number of residents were said to have relocated from the community for fear of being hit by stray bullets. A resident who identified himself simply as Fawole said the violent activities of the cult groups have taken a toll on social life in the affected communities.
He said:” We are no longer living in peace here anymore ever since criminal gangs who were chased out of some Lagos communities relocated to Sango. They have since been killing themselves and at times unsuspecting residents fall victim of their mindless killings. Although the Ota Area Command and police stations around have been carrying out constant raids and patrol in the communities to checkmate the boys and other criminal elements, but there is need for proactive measures to tackle the menacing cult boys and flush them out of Ado Odo/Ota council area.”
The spokesman of Ogun Police Command, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, a Superintendent of Police (SP) was not available for comments.
Calls made to his mobile phone number by our correspondent were not answered, while he did not also respond to a text message sent to his phone number at press time.