Metro

Rampaging Cultists Hack Three To Death In Lagos

Published

5 months ago

July 16, 2025

Tension has begun to brew among residents and business owners in the Ebute Meta area of Lagos State after three residents were killed in a suspected cultists’ attack.

The PUNCH learnt on Tuesday that the incident occurred on Sunday and Monday.

The victims were identified simply as Agbara, Butcher and a plumber whose identity had yet to be ascertained.

It was gathered that Agbara was attacked and killed in the Lagos Street area of the community on Sunday.

A resident who spoke to our correspondent on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media on the matter said the victim’s body was found lying lifeless on the street in the evening with machete cuts.

“I was at home when I suddenly heard people running for safety. When I stepped outside to find out what was happening, I was informed that someone was being attacked further down the street. After a short while, we went to the scene and found a person lying on the ground. On closer look, we saw multiple cuts on his body. He was popularly known as Agbara.”

In what appeared to be a reprisal, the two other victims of the attack were killed on Monday.

Another resident who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity confirmed that Butcher was killed in the Makoko area.

“We learnt of Butcher’s death this morning. He was killed last night. He earned the nickname because his father sells meat. His body was found somewhere around Makoko and wrapped in a cloth. Some deep cuts were also found on his neck. We were told he left a pregnant wife behind.”

While speaking on the killing of the third victim, the resident said Butcher was dragged to a location on Abeokuta Street and stabbed to death on the spot, the same day.

“We have yet to know the identity of the third person, but he was killed around the Abeokuta bridge. People initially thought he was apprehended for an offence relating to debt, given the way he was dragged along the street. It was later that his corpse was found under the bridge with his throat severed. We want the police to act on this. We want peace in our community because the situation is getting out of hand,” the resident said.

Meanwhile, our correspondent learnt that the incident was due to an ongoing cult rivalry in the community.

The PUNCH reported that a footballer identified simply as Kamo was on Thursday hacked to death by unidentified assailants in the community.

The deceased was observing his routine training session at a popular local football ground known as “Centre Field.”

It was gathered that the late Kamo, who was a goalkeeper for a grassroots team, otherwise known as B-Unit Football Club, had finished his morning drills when some male adults accosted him on his way home.

A resident who did not want his name mentioned in print for security reasons told our correspondent on Saturday that the attackers immediately descended on Kamo with dangerous weapons and left him with fatal cuts on his head.

He was, however, said to have succumbed to the injuries on the spot before help could arrive.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said he had yet to be briefed on the development.

“I don’t have information on it yet.”

Meanwhile, Hundeyin in a statement on Tuesday said the police command had deployed Anti-Cultism Squads in all Area Commands within the state.

According to him, the squads have been equipped to respond swiftly and professionally to cultism-related threats and are tasked with conducting surveillance, responding to distress calls, apprehending suspected cultists, and working with local communities to dismantle cultism networks.

“In furtherance to this, the command hereby makes available the phone numbers of the squads by Area Command: Area A (Lagos Island) – 08035216190, Area B (Apapa) – 08033781718, Area C (Surulere) – 08035740254, Area D (Mushin) – 08030454334, Area E (Festac) – 08036883998, Area F (Ikeja) – 08134619604, Area G (Ogba) – 08033900991, Area H (Ogudu) – 08034004076, Area J (Ajah) – 08032191689, Area K (Morogbo) – 08076134280, Area M (Idimu) – 08024248069, Area N (Ijede) – 08034806328, Area P (Alagbado) – 08090837383, SCID PANTI – 08133390333.

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Jimoh, urges members of the public to play an active role in this effort by providing credible intelligence as quickly as possible. All reports will be treated with utmost confidentiality,” the statement added.

Metro

Edo Assembly Declares Okpebholo’s Projects Unprecedented

Published

24 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

The Edo State House of Assembly has described projects embarked upon by Governor Monday Okpebholo as unprecedented in the history of Edo State.

Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Atu Osamwonyi, made the assertion when he led members of the legislature on a comprehensive oversight inspection of several ongoing infrastructural projects.

Other lawmakers on the oversight team included Hon. Addeh Isibor, Hon. Yekini Idaiye, and Hon. Ugabi Kingsley.

Hon. Osamwonyi, who spoke during an assessment tour of the Sapele Road Flyover, said the lawmakers were in the field to verify the progress of work and ensure that funds appropriated by the Assembly were being judiciously utilised.

According to him, the flyover represents a milestone for Benin City and reflects the governor’s commitment to infrastructural renewal.

He emphasised that unlike past administrations where funds were approved with no tangible results, the Okpebholo-led government had demonstrated transparency and visible delivery.

“In my entire life in Edo State, this flyover project is the first of its kind. We are here physically, and work is ongoing,” he said.

The Deputy Speaker added that the Assembly had earlier inspected the Ramat Park Flyover on Monday, noting similar levels of progress.

“This is the fifth site we have visited since yesterday. We are impressed with what we have seen so far, and as a House, we will stand by the governor to ensure he finishes strong,” he said.

At Ogheghe, Old Sapele Road and Ekae Road—where a 14-kilometre road and concrete drainage network is underway—Hon. Osamwonyi described the construction efforts as unprecedented, expressing astonishment at the level of work done within a short period.

He insisted that the legislature does not play politics with accountability and would speak the truth at all times.

“If Governor Okpebholo was not doing well, we would say it. But I stand here today to affirm that the funds appropriated are being used judiciously for the benefit of the people.l”, he noted.

He further remarked that despite limited financial resources, the governor had delivered projects many believed were impossible.

The Deputy Speaker recalled that several communities, particularly in Ogheghe, previously suffered from severe road degradation that made access impossible, even for motorcycles.

“But today we are standing here with joy. The governor has brought democracy to Edo in a way the people can feel,” he said.

According to him, contractors handling the projects confirmed that although the initial timeline was two years, work would likely be completed within one year and six months due to the speed of implementation.

“That tells you that Governor Okpebholo is not eating Edo people’s money,” he added.

Hon. Osamwonyi stressed that the Assembly would resist any attempt to derail the governor’s momentum.

“This is the continuity we want in Edo State. Anybody who wants to thwart the governor’s efforts, we will not agree,” he said.

The oversight team also visited the 5.86-kilometre road project linking Amagba and Obagie-N’Ebvuosa, where the engineer handling the project reported that 4.3 kilometres of drainage had already been completed.

Metro

Edo Final-year Student Dies In Sign-out Motorcade Crash

Published

1 day ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

A yet-to-be-identified final-year student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, has lost his life in a road crash after he and some other students embarked on a motorcade parade to celebrate the completion of their final examinations.

It was learnt on Tuesday from a Facebook user, Inside Edo, that the accident occurred on Monday shortly after the students finished their final examination.

Inside Edo disclosed that the vehicle had attempted to overtake another before losing control and ramming into a truck.

The post read, “A tragic accident has occurred at Ujoelen, close to the primary school, resulting in the death of a newly graduated student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

“According to eyewitnesses, the crash happened during an attempted overtaking by one of the vehicles involved.

“The risky manoeuvre reportedly led to a loss of control, causing the fatal incident. Residents who were nearby rushed to the scene, but the victim could not be saved.”

Similarly, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that the students were said to have been driving recklessly before crashing into a stationary truck.

The deceased was said to be part of a convoy made up of fresh graduates of the university.

NAN reported, “He was reportedly part of a convoy of fresh graduates who took to the highway on Monday shortly after their signing-out activities.

“Witnesses said the group drove recklessly and failed to observe basic safety rules during the celebrations.

“The tragedy occurred when the deceased attempted to overtake a moving truck but collided with a stationary vehicle parked along the road.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Cyril Mathew, proved abortive, as the official number available on the FRSC directory was not reachable at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, NAN reported that Mathew later confirmed the incident, adding that one person died while five others were injured in the crash.

“The students, after writing their last paper, took to the road in a convoy.

“In the process, one of them overtook another vehicle and rammed into a stationary truck,” NAN quoted Mathew as saying.

Metro

One Dies In Oyo Fire, Two Rescued

Published

1 day ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

One person lost her life in a fire incident at Agbaakin Street, behind Testing Ground, Iwo Road, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Monday.

This was contained in a statement by the Chairman of the State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, in Ibadan, on Tuesday.

He said the fire resulted from a lighted charcoal cooking pot left unattended, which ignited nearby combustible materials.

Akinwande added that the firefighting operation was successfully carried out with the support of officers of the Federal Fire Service.

“The fire emergency was received at exactly 20:18 hours on Monday, December 8, 2025.

“On getting there, it was two rooms on the upper floor of a private residential building of 12 rooms engulfed by fire.

“One person (female) was recovered, while two persons (males) were rescued alive. The fire also affected only two rooms, and the whole building and other properties worth millions of naira were saved by the officers of the agency.

“The fire incident was a result of a lighted charcoal cooking pot left unattended, which ignited nearby combustible materials. The operation was jointly carried out with the Federal Fire Service, Ibadan Command,” he explained.

In a related development, a fire incident on Tuesday engulfed the Agric Business Development Agency at Total Garden in Ibadan.

A statement by the State Fire Service Chairman, Akinwande, said the agency received a telephone call through Mr Akinyinka reporting that fire had ravaged the place.

“The incident was reported at exactly 09:20hrs on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, through a telephone call by Mr Akinyinka (the General Manager, Oyo State Fire Services Agency) to the office, reporting a fire at the above-stated address.

“The officers, led by ACFS Oyeniyi Taofeek, swiftly mobilised and deployed to the scene. Upon arrival, it was discovered that electrical sparks from a solar inverter control board on the upper floor of the building resulted in the fire.

“The swift response and professional intervention of our officers prevented the situation from escalating into a fire disaster. The use of portable fire extinguishers was employed during the firefighting operation.

“No casualty was recorded, and properties worth millions of naira were saved by the fire service. The fire incident was a result of electrical sparks from the inverter system,” the statement read.

The chairman, therefore, advised the public to always use correct cables and other electrical materials for their installations.