Lagos Cult Clashes Intensify as Lakowe, Sangotedo Record Fresh Killings

The wave of cult-related violence sweeping through Lagos has taken another bloody turn, with two young men killed in separate incidents at Lakowe’s Orita Adeba and the Sangotedo axis of Ibeju-Lekki over the weekend.

The killings, believed to be part of reprisal attacks, follow weeks of cult clashes that have claimed multiple lives in the state.

In Lakowe, residents woke up to the sight of a dreadlocked youth lying in a pool of blood after being attacked with machetes.

Witnesses said his assailants, suspected members of the Aye confraternity, severed his right wrist and fled the scene.

“It is becoming too much. We cannot sleep at night anymore. They keep killing themselves, and we are caught in the middle,” a resident who pleaded anonymity told reporters.

Hours later, another victim was found lifeless by a culvert in Sangotedo. Though the motive is yet to be officially confirmed, residents fear it is linked to the ongoing score-settling among rival cult groups.

Videos circulating on social media show both victims lying by the roadside, surrounded by shocked onlookers.

The latest incidents add to a string of cult killings in Ibeju-Lekki, where two people were butchered last week in similarly gruesome fashion.

Despite the disturbing frequency of the clashes, police are yet to issue a detailed statement.

A senior officer told reporters the command was still compiling information on the killings.

The escalation has heightened anxiety among residents, who say the unchecked violence is fast turning their communities into battlegrounds.