Tension in Ikorodu as cultists kill Vigilance boss

Palpable tension has gripped residents of Ikorodu area of Lagos State following the gruesome murder of a prominent leader of the Onyabo Vigilance group, a community security outfit supported by the Local Government and people of the ancient town.

Afeez Oseni, a chieftain of the Vigilance group in Ikorodu Central, according to eyewitness accounts, was shot to death yesterday afternoon at the Aga area of the town by gunmen suspected to be cult members. The youthful Onyabo boss was said to have been with friends at the time of his murder.

Our correspondent reported that few hours after the killing, markets and shops within the locality hurriedly closed up amidst fear of possible clashes between the aggrieved Onyabo members and suspected cult kingpins.

“As I speak with you, we fear the worst. Onyabo men may decide to go after these cultists. These cultists have made life unbearable for us in Ikorodu and it is these Vigilance men like Geleti that has been helping to ensure sanity around here. His death is a sad development,” another source said.

According to the accounts of sources who spoke to The Nation, Oseni had arrived the place where he was killed and had barely settled down on the wooden seat he sat before his killers arrived and made for him directly.

“They wasted no time. He was just arriving at the place when the cultists arrived and made for him straight. They shot at him severally and waited to ensure that he received no help before fleeing on the motor bikes they came with. It was like a scene straight from a Nollywood movie.

“He was left in a pool of his own blood as everybody nearby had taken to their heels following the sporadic shootings with which the murderers announced their arrival. They shot straight at him to prevent him from trying to escape. It was a very terrifying sight,” our source said.

As of the time of filing this report, the Ikorodu Division of the Nigerian Police Force is yet to release official statement while the spokesperson of the Police in the state, Dolapo Badmus, said the command is yet to be informed of the murder.