Standing among forty other suspects arrested over various crimes
ranging from robbery, rape, impersonation and cultism, at the Lagos
State Police Command headquarters, Ikeja , Wednesday, was an under-aged
boy whose appearance struck this reporter. Judging from his fragile
frame to his malnourished looks, coupled with an expression of fear on
his light skinned face, nothing would have passed him for any of the
offences listed against him.
But during an interaction with Crime Guard,
16-year-old Babajide Akiola, as he later identified him, confirmed that
facial looks could be deceptive, following his admittance to belonging
to a dreaded cult group that has been terrorising Satellite Town, in
Amuwo Odofin local government area of Lagos.
He further opened a can of worms on activities of members of various
cult groups in the area. Most startling was the revelation that children
as young as ten years old are initiated into the various cult groups in
Satellite Town. By the way, Sattelitte Town was set up by the Lagos
State government in early 1960 to help low income earners own their own
houses, with some of the areas allocated to oil workers and private
buyers .
Along the line, illegal structures were built in the area, which
unfortunately have turned the area which was once known to be an estate
into a slum, with the prevalent activities of cultists holding sway. In
this interaction with Akiola, a Secondary School Certificate holder, he
revealed that , primary school pupils and secondary school students ,
including artisans in the area were forced into cultism. Attempt by
anyone approached to put up resistance according to him, meant the out
right relocation of the child’s parent from the area.
He further disclosed that children between 10 and 13 years who were
initiated into major confraternity groups such as Arrow Baga popularly
known as Arrow, were sent as spies on their rivals. The children as
gathered were also sent to survey places like the massive Navy barracks
before their ‘masters’ would strike.
How I was forced into Eiye confraternity
Giving an instance with his case, he revealed that he was approached
right from the age of 10 to join the Eiye confraternity group. According
to him “ When the pressure was too much, I had no choice than to give
in . My father was an okada rider (motorcyclist). He was never
at home. There was no one I could approach when the pressure to join
Eiye was much on me . Even if I had approached my father, he would not
have done anything because everyone is afraid of the cult guys. He would
be forced to pack out of the area and he didn’t have the financial
strength to do so.
In one of the occasions, one of them, Samuel seized my phone and my
shoe. I went home barefooted. As if that was not enough, I was beaten to
a pulp by members of the cult group, for committing no offence. I
eventually joined Eiye confraternity in 2013, shortly after I finished
my secondary school eduction.
Initiation
After my secondary school education , my father said I should go and
work as an apprentice under a vulcanizer. On the day of the initiation, I
was taken to a lonely area around waterside,where I was blindfolded.
Thereafter, they beat me and poured alcohol in my eyes . My position in
the group is called ‘Tender’ . This is the least position. My job is to
spy on rival group members, particularly during fight and give their
location to our members before they would strike. At first, no one knew I
was a cultist because I was not moving with the known members. But
later, my boss got to know and dismissed me”.
Graduated to robbery
Along the line, I lost my father. By the way , my mother was
separated from my late dad. She abandoned me and my two siblings with my
father. When my father died, I travelled to the village in Ondo state
to see my mother but she never welcomed me as a mother would welcome a
child she had not seen for long. Rather, she called me names and sent me
away, saying it was impossible for me to stay with her because she had
remarried.
Thereafter, I went to my grandmother who told me to join my two other
siblings with her to farm. But I refused because of the hardship there.
She gave me N3000 to rent an apartment in Lagos . When I returned to
Lagos, I went to stay with a friend who is also member of same cult. Most robbery cases in Satellite Town and its environs were carried
out by cultists. I only participated in the morning raids ,where those
leaving for their respective business places are attacked and
dispossessed of their cash, phones and other valuables. At the end of
each operation, I usually got between N1500 and N3000. I have never
handled a gun because I am only a ‘Tender’ .
Killings enhance promotion
Akiola , further disclosed that series of fight in the area were
caused by rival cultists. He gave names of some of two major volatile
cult groups in the area as
Eiye and Arrow .
“We usually had problems with the Arrow boys, over supremacy . So many persons have died during such clashes in both camps.
Our hit men are refereed to as flyers and Adaba . To graduate from
the position of ‘Tender’ to ‘Flyer’ or ‘Adaba’ , it requires human
blood. Anyone that can kill three persons at a go during fight with
rival cult groups automatically becomes a ‘flyer ‘ or an ‘Adaba’. But I
don’t have the mind to kill. The day I was tempted to ask what else can
be done to graduate to the next level was when I saw a 10 year-old boy
who was already an ‘Adaba ‘ . He came to where I was standing with other
members and cleared me off from the ground simply because I did not pay
him homage . He ordered me to lie flat and used my back as a leg rest.
That was to show me that he was senior to me in rank”.Asked what the
name of the 10 year-old boy was, he said he never dared to ask him.
Continuing he said “I was told that the alternative way to rise to
the next level was to undergo another round of initiation which involved
payment of N15,000. Aside that , I was told that a herbalist would be
invited , who would mix cassava flakes otherwise known as garri
with rice and would ask me to sort out the rice like a bird.
Thereafter, I would be taken to Ibasa, a river bank where the real
initiation which include severe beating would be done. I was told that
several persons did not pass that stage as they died in the process and
their bodies thrown inside the river.
I decided to remain in my position as a ‘Tender ‘ because I didn’t
have N15,000 to pay and I was also not ready for another round of
beating”. He revealed that areas prone to cult activities included
Tambolo village, Ibasa, across the river, Bale, Ijegun, Egba, waterside,
Fire Service around barracks,among other places.
Arrested
Akiola further stated that members of his confraternity group usually
attended parties whether invited or not, adding that on their way back,
they would accost unsuspecting persons who were going to their
respective places of work. Luck however ran against them on December 29,
2015 , following the arrest of four suspected members, while operating
at Chemist bus-stop.
Akiola said “ Bolaji was with weere((gun ) on that day. He
used it to scare our victims. But we did not know that policemen were
around. I regret joining a confraternity group. In fact, I feel like
dying because I am not prepared to go to jail . If I am let off the
hook, I will return to my grand-mother in the village and join my
siblings in farming. Crime Guard gathered that some leaders of the cult
groups were killed by policemen during shoot-out while operating.
The suspects, according to the Commissioner of Police , Mr Fatai Owoseni would be charged to court.
