By Ifeanyi Okolie

Residents of Ilupeju, Oloshan and Idi-Oro, Mushin, Lagos State are currently living in fear following the recent systematic killings of four residents of the area, while one other was left with severe injuries,between December 27, 2013 to January 2, 2014.

The killings as gathered, were targeted at perceived enemies of hoodlums from the notorious criminal den of Akala and Tollgate areas, who have been terrorizing residents of Mushin and its environs for a long time.

What made it more spectacular, was the fact that these victims were formerly members of these hoodlums, and they fought alongside with them during the bloody factional war that followed the wrongful removal of a National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Unit Chairman, from his post, in 2010.

Crime Guard  gathered that some of these victims were arrested by the police and sent to prison, while the  war raged. But they defected to the opposite faction  upon their release.

Residents who gave the identities of the victims as: Mufutau Bakare, Nuhu Alowonle, Lekan and Segun Oladunjoye, said   their sudden defection didn’t go down well with leaders of their faction, who saw it as a  betrayal.  Several measures were employed to eliminate them.

Jimoh Agunbiade, a resident, told Crime Guard, that several petitions were sent to the police against them and some were arrested, charged to court but were granted bail. “ Their subsequent release from prison was viewed as an afront, so they decided to eliminate them.

Oyibo Tollgate, Latee, Ika, Wasiu Oloriesho, Lukmon Oko, Agba and Ay,  on December 27, 2013, stormed  Mofutau’s house and abducted him in the presence of his mother and younger brother, at Oloshan area of Mushin, he was then taken to an isolated location and stabbed to death. The next day, they attacked,Nuhu Alowonle and one Tunde Shobodina, at Oloshan area and opened fire on them. Alowonle was killed on the spot but Shobodina managed to escape with  serious injuries.

“They did not go after any of these boys who carried out these killings, they left them roaming the streets as freemen. On  December 31, 2013, they launched a new attack at Ilupeju and killed one Lekan who is popularly known as Stubborn, while on  January 2, 2014, they struck again at Ilupeju and killed Segun Oladunjoye.

Oladunjoye was attacked along Tollgate at about 11 am on that day. His assailants shot him on his chest and one other stabbed him with a military bayonet and he died on the spot. His death put us  in fear in this area and nobody knows who the next victim will be.

“The most troubling aspect of these killings is that the police is familiar with these hoodlums and none of them has been arrested rather they are busy  chasing innocent people who are also targets of these hoodlums,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Muda  Adigun, another resident, who was once a member of the hoodlums  told Crime Guard in a telephone chat that he had fled the area over fear of being arrested by the police or hacked to death by the hoodlums. Adigun who refused to disclose his location said the hoodlums were after his life because he defected and joined their opponents.

According to him; “While we fought with them when they were trying to remove the NURTW, Chairman from his office, they promised to give us key posts in the unit but after they succeeded and got themselves into office they dumped us. And not long after then I was arrested and sent to prison and while in prison none of them asked about my well-being.

“They even didn’t bother to assist me secure my bail. I sent a member of my family to plead with the former NURTW chairman to forgive me and he heeded. He assisted me in securing my bail and when I was released, he gave me a job and said he did not want me to go back to violence.

After working for him for some few months I raised some money and decided to travel abroad, but my former colleagues would not let it happen. They wrote a frivolous petition against me to the police alleging all manner of offences I committed while I was working with them.

“Some policemen accosted me at the embassy while trying to secure my visa and they took me to State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti and the complainants in the case, were my former friends and I was accused of crimes I knew nothing about. I was charged to court, remanded in prison.  I later got bail and they came after me again. My only offence was that I left their camp and joined their opponents.”