Pregnant woman killed in Lagos cult clash

A 35-year-old pregnant woman, Risikat Saliman, was shot dead during a bloody clash between suspected cult groups at Aleke community in Ikorodu, Lagos State on Thursday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that dozens of suspected cultists invaded Aleke community market around 8 p.m., started shooting sporadically, killing the woman.

The Baale of Aleke, Adeniyi Okemati, said the hoodlums had gunned down the mother of two before the arrival of policemen from at Imota Division.

“I don’t know why they came and be terrorising our people,” he said. “We want Lagos government to intervene so that we can collectively curb the menace to enable my people sleep with their two eyes closed.”

He appealed to the Lagos State Government to intervene.

Mr Okemati also urged residents to collaborate with local vigilante teams to curb insecurity in the area.

Traumatised

The brother of the deceased, Babatunde Saliman, told NAN that the hoodlums arrived at the market around 8 p.m. and started shooting sporadically “and eventually the bullet hit her on the back”.

“I met her at the market lying in a pool of blood; some of her friends who came to the scene said that she was pregnant.

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“Her body has been released by the police and was taken to Ikorodu General Hospital mortuary in preparation to transport her to her home town in Kwara State,” he said.

He called on the police to investigate the killing.

Police react

Meanwhile, the police spokesperson in Lagos State, Muyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the killing, said that the cult clash was between “Aiye and Eiye” confraternity.

He said policemen have restored normalcy to the area “while the matter had been taken to the State Criminal Invesgation Department (SCID) Panti, Lagos”.

He said the commissioner of police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, has warned “that the police will deal ruthlessly with anyone found culpable”.

“The woman was killed by stray bullet when the two rival cults of ‘Eiye’ and ‘Aiye’ engaged each other in a supremacy battle.

“The Commissioner of Police in the state, Hakeem Odumosu, has zero tolerance for cultism. Cultism breeds various other crimes wherever they exist,” he said.