Metro

Rampaging Cultists Hack Three To Death In Lagos

Published

1 month 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

Truck Crushes Man Rushing For Jumu’ah Prayers In Rivers

Published

4 hours ago

August 29, 2025

Editor

A trailer loaded with goods has crushed a Muslim faithful rushing for Friday prayers to death in Port Harcourt.

According to Vanguard, the tragic incident happened on the ever-busy Nkpolu junction axis of the East-West road, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, around 2:05 pm.

It was gathered that the victim was crossing the busy road when a black SUV on speed knocked him down and that the truck, which was on high speed, crushed him to death.

A source, who witnessed the incident, narrated that the young man was behind some of his Muslim brothers, who were also going for the Friday prayers, when the incident happened.

The source, who gave his name simply as Tunde, said the other worshipers had crossed, but that the victim, who did not observe the traffic very well before entering the road, was knocked down by the vehicle.

The source said that when the SUV brought him down, a trailer that was on the speed lane ran over him, dismembering the body beyond recognition.

However, the Muslim faithful who were with him took over the highway in protest until police operatives arrived at the scene.

Meanwhile, the police restored normalcy while the protesting Muslims took the remains for burial.

Metro

Three Killed As Suspected Bandits Ambush Motorists In Kwara

Published

13 hours ago

August 29, 2025

Editor

Gunmen suspected to be Fulani bandits have allegedly launched a deadly attack on motorists along the Rore and Aranorin communities in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, leaving at least three people dead.

The incident, which occurred on Thursday, threw residents and travellers into a state of panic as news of the killings spread across the area.

In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, the victims were seen lying lifeless on the roadside, their bodies partially covered with clothing and leaves by sympathisers who arrived at the scene after the attackers had fled.

Eyewitnesses told SaharaReporters that the armed men, believed to be operating from hideouts in nearby forests, opened fire on the unsuspecting motorists in what appeared to be a coordinated ambush.

It remains unclear whether the attackers also abducted any victims during the assault, as details were still emerging as of Friday morning.

The attack is the latest in a growing wave of violence that has gripped Kwara State’s Ifelodun and Irepodun local government areas in recent months.

Communities such as Babanla, Shegbe, Ologomo, Alabe, and Oreke in Ifelodun Local Government have faced repeated attacks, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their ancestral homes.

Many victims have been kidnapped for ransom, while others have been killed in similar raids.

Residents expressed fears that the violence could escalate further unless urgent security measures are taken.

Some community leaders have called on both the state and federal governments to deploy more security personnel to the affected areas, noting that many villages have been left vulnerable as attacks continue unabated.

As of the time of filing this report, the Kwara State Police Command had yet to release an official statement on the incident.

However, sources indicate that security operatives have been mobilised to the area to prevent further violence and reassure residents.

On August 24, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that hours after Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq visited Babanla community in Ifelodun Local Government Area to reassure residents of improved security, suspected bandits abducted two people in the area.

The governor visited the area to reassure residents and restore a sense of security amid ongoing fears of banditry and kidnappings.

However, the criminals struck soon after his departure, highlighting the persistent threat and heightening tension in the community.

The incident reportedly threw residents into fresh panic despite earlier promises of tighter security measures.

Metro

Suspected Amasiri Warriors Invade Ebonyi Community, Behead Farmer Amid Land Dispute

Published

13 hours ago

August 29, 2025

Editor

Tragedy struck on Tuesday, August 26, at Okporojo Idima, Oso Edda in the Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, as armed warriors from neighbouring Amasiri community reportedly invaded the farmland of one Mr. Dike Nnachi, beheaded him, and took his head away as a trophy.

The attack marks a continuation of violent hostilities in the area, coming barely four months after the April invasion in which at least four people, including a pregnant woman and her 12-year-old son, were brutally killed.

That incident also left property worth millions of naira destroyed.

Residents told reporters that the latest killing has deepened fears across Oso Edda, as locals now question the effectiveness of the state government’s ongoing peace efforts.

The Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, had, through the Ministry of Border Peace and Conflict Resolution, initiated dialogue between warring communities to stem the tide of violence.

However, Tuesday’s bloodshed is seen as a direct challenge to those peace moves.

Community leaders have called for urgent intervention, warning that unless decisive action is taken, the violence could escalate further, leaving more lives and property in jeopardy.

In April, renewed violence broke out over a longstanding land dispute between Ndukwe community in Amasiri, Afikpo Local Government Area, and Okporojo in Edda Local Government Area of the state.

The hostilities left houses and properties worth millions of naira destroyed, as attackers, reportedly from Amasiri, launched assaults on Okporojo.

The worsening security situation forced many residents of Edda to abandon the Amasiri road, opting instead to travel through Afikpo town due to fear of further attacks.

Although previous administrations attempted to resolve the crisis, including the release of a white paper based on a government committee’s recommendations, implementation has reportedly stalled, allowing the conflict to fester and violence to recur.