At least four people were killed in separate cult-related clashes in Atan-Ota, Ogun State, and Ojo, Lagos State, amid ongoing rivalries between the Aiye and Eiye confraternities.
In Atan-Ota, a clash on Monday night around 8 p.m. in the Kajola area resulted in three deaths, reportedly carried out by Aiye members in retaliation for the killing of one of their own by Eiye members two weeks prior. A security source, speaking anonymously, said Aiye assailants stormed the area, shooting sporadically and targeting suspected Eiye members. An anti-cultism advocacy page, NaijaConfra, confirmed one victim was an Eiye member nicknamed Coded, with the identities of the other two still unverified.
In a separate incident in Ojo, Lagos, a community security guard and Aiye member known as Ijaya (also called CSO) was killed by suspected Eiye members on Monday night in front of his home on ECOWAS Street. NaijaConfra described Ijaya as a peaceful and respected figure, noting that the attack has heightened tensions with fears of reprisals by Aiye.
Efforts to reach the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, and Lagos State Police spokesperson, Abimbola Adebisi, for comments were unsuccessful as of Tuesday.
Cult-related violence remains a persistent issue in Lagos and Ogun, with recent reports of similar clashes in Ifo (August 2024) and Ikorodu (April 2024), despite police efforts to curb the menace. The ongoing supremacy battles between rival groups highlight the deep-rooted challenge of cultism in the South-West region.
