Mushin cultists

By Patience ogbo

Residents of Mushin, in Lagos State, say they have lost confidence in the police and other security agencies in curbing gang wars in their community.

The residents registered their displeasure with security agencies in the state following the continuous attacks they have been exposed to from the different cult groups in their area. Barely one week after some youth, suspected to be members of a cult, the Eiye Confraternity, unleashed terror on residents of Elekoro area of Mushin, suspected cultists from the Black Axe Confraternity, on Wednesday, went on rampage in the Akala and Alakara areas of Mushin. The suspected cultists, numbering 15, and wearing black T-shirts, armed with cutlass and other dangerous weapons were seen stopping vehicles and molesting passengers. The residents, on sighting the youth, took to their heels. The suspected cultists, however, retreated when a police patrol van arrived the scene.

Reign of terror

A resident of Alakara, who spoke on condition of anonymity, accused the government of shielding the cultists in the area. “Mushin is a place for terrorists and cultists,” he said. “These boys are terrorists and the government is not doing anything about them. The problem has many causes and it started with the NURTW members who are at loggerheads to control the motor parks in Mushin and at Fadeyi. Every day in Mushin, you will see these boys fighting each other, to get more power to control the motor parks. They killed one another and nothing happened. Some of the NURTW members have joined the Eiye Cult while others have joined the Black Axe Cult. Today the boys from the Black Axe moved from Fadeyi, on a revenge mission to Mushin because last week the Mushin boys, who are mostly Eiye Cult members, invaded Elekoro at Fadeyi and unleashed terror on the people. They are called the Akala boys from Mushin and they went on rampage because they felt cheated in a reconciliatory meeting held by the NURTW branch to settle the problem. The problem has it root in the NURTW motor parks and the endless fight is about who will control the parks. Some of the NURTW members are OPC members and they also belong to the black axe and the Eiye cults.”

Adeniran Ojo, a welder at Mushin ,said the security agencies are unable to curb the lawlessness of the suspected cultists. “It is a sad thing that these boys go on rampage as they feel in the Mushin and the government and the security in the area cannot do anything to stop them,” he said.

“Every day is a battle field and innocent lives are lost with goods and property worth millions of naira destroyed. Another thing that has made these cultist to be bold is that the AC government in the state use them as hoodlums and thugs during election, even after police have arrested them, the big shots in Alausa will call for their release because they use them during election. So what do you expect security officers to do, anytime the police arrest them, somebody will just call for their freedom, so Mushin will continue to boil and there is nothing anybody can do, the security will come after the boys have finished their evil work, so the residents do not know what to do again.