…say ‘most of our girls have been raped by cultists’
Residents of Ile-Ife, Osun State, have expressed worry over recurring cases of attacks and reprisals by some groups of cultists in the town, saying that their peace and commercial activities are being threatened.
Some of them blamed the development on the leadership of the community, who they accused of shirking their responsibilities.
Last Saturday, there was pandemonium in the Iremo and Lagere areas of Ile-Ife, as warring cult groups engaged one another in gun duel over a girl. As these fierce-looking cultists attacked one another, residents, passersby and shop owners around the vicinity were forced to run for dear lives. Some residents sustained injuries during the melee.
At least, one person was said to have been shot dead during the cult fracas.
Investigations revealed that the clash was between members of the Eye Confraternity and those of the Black Axe, popularly called Ayee. The suspected cultists were said to be indigenes of the town.
The suspected cultists were said to have freely used dangerous weapons like axes, machetes and guns. It was also revealed that some policemen reportedly raided a shop located at Ojoyin area of the town, where some boys believed to be cultists, were smoking Indian hemp.
The rival cultists were said to have launched attacks on one another about five months ago over the ‘ownership’ of a lady both groups had been laying claim to.
According to a source, the suspected cultists resisted attempts by the police to dislodge them.
The clash started at Lagere area and later spread to Akarabata and Iremo areas of Ife. Business owners were said to have for long deserted these areas for fear of being attacked.
Speaking with our correspondent, who visited the town, a concerned indigene and community leader, Prince Adeniyi Oladiti, said the rate of attacks and deaths that had been recorded in the town was alarming.
He said that residents could no longer move safely in Ile-Ife.
Oladiti also bemoaned the rising rate at which jobless youths take up cult activities, saying attacks by cult members had been a recurring decimal in the last two years.
Also speaking, another resident of the ancient city, Mr. Ajao Elu, said most of the girls in the town had been raped by these cultists, who now operate within the town with impunity.
Elu expressed fear over the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Osun, saying some politicians were already seeking the service of these youths ahead of the elections.
He, therefore, called on relevant security agencies to arrest the ugly development in order to restore peace to the town.
Meanwhile, the Osun Police Command has said seven suspected cultists have been apprehended.
The Public Relations Officer of the command, Mrs. Folasade Odoro, said upon the receipt of information by Police A Division, Ile-Ife, that cult members were on the rampage in Ife town, patrol teams and vigilante men were drafted to the scene, where the seven suspects were arrested.
However, one of the nabbed suspects, Sodiq Olafare, in a bid to escape arrest, jumped out of one of the patrol vehicles.
The fleeing suspect was later re-arrested after he had sustained bullets wound on his left leg. All the arrested suspects are under interrogation, while Olafare was taken to hospital for medical
treatment.
The police in Ile Ife had arrested a man identified as the most wanted cultist in the ancient city some weeks ago.
The suspect, Adekunle Lekan, popularly known as “Scorpion,” had been on the wanted list of the police in the past three years.
The Area A Commander of the Police Division in the town, Funsho Adegboye, disclosed that the suspect had been linked to several cult clashes in the Orita Fogo and environs as well as to the death of many citizens.
Adegboye said an axe, a sword and assorted charms were recovered from the suspect.
