Taiwo Jimoh
Mrs. Muibat Onifade (52) is a
picture of a broken woman. Tears have become her daily companion as she cried
daily, asking God series of question.
She was plunged into this mournful mood
after her blue-eyed boy; Yusuf Onifade (24) was killed by suspected cultists.
The grieving mother said that the boy was killed in the most gruesome manner. He
was killed on Valentine Day, February 14.
She said: “I don’t know why God
didn’t take my life and spared that of my son. With the death of Yusuf, my
days are numbered. It is the death of my son that is going to kill me. I cannot
cope without him beside me.”
Muibat had been pregnant and had 10
babies, but they all died. Refusing to give up on having children, she kept
trying and finally had five children that survived. Yusuf was one of the latter
children that survived. Amongst her children, Yusuf found a firm place in her
heart because he was “giving and generous.”
According to her, Yusuf was lured
out of their home by some friend, pumped full of tramadol and then taken to
another venue, where cultists attacked him with planks.
As the planks hit him from all
direction, he allegedly repeatedly cried and begged them to spare his life
because of his mother. But his attackers, like is common among cultists,
refused to listen to his pleas.
The inconsolable mom explained: “I
was told that immediately the cultists took Yusuf to Odo-Eran, other members of
Aiye cult groups came out from their hideout and started beating him with planks.
My son pleaded with them not to kill him for the sake of his mother. But my
son’s pleading fell on the deaf ears. The Aiye cultists continued hitting him
with the plank. The leader of the Aiye group, Akeju was said to have
brought out a gun and shot my son on the head. After killing Yusuf, Akeju
called Idowu and told him that my son had been killed.”
Yusuf was said to have been killed
at about 10am at Odo-Eran Bariga area of Lagos State.
On the fateful of his murder, Yusuf
was relaxing in bed when he received a phone call from one of his friends. The
caller asked him to meet him at Ososa Street in the Bariga.
After the call, he got up from the
bed, picked his shirt and jean and rushed out of the house. According to Muibat,
when Yusuf was leaving home, he kissed her, saying he would back in a jiffy.
When our correspondent visited the Muibat’s
house at No. 3, Ogundero Street, Bariga, the mother of five worn sadness like a
garment and wouldn’t crack up a smile for anyone.
Muibat said she had a premonition
that her son would die. She had also made efforts to prevent that premonition
from coming to past. She recollected trying to stop Yusuf from going out on
that fateful day.
She remembered: “There was a day
Yusuf was sleeping. I was outside the house when a man came to me. The man said
that I should warn my son to be careful; that someone was going to die. In the
morning when he was about to go out, I knelt and begged him not to go out. I
also asked him where he was going. It is because of the love my son has for me,
that he inscribed on his right arm, ‘mummy’s favourite’ and on his left arm,
‘Only God can judge me.’ I repeatedly warned him to know the friends he keeps.
“It was Akeju that called my son on
phone to meet him at Ososa Street. Yusuf was Akeju took motorbike to Odo-Eran
area in the community. When they got there, Yusuf was forced to take tramadol,
which made to start misbehaving. When they noticed that he wasn’t himself
anymore, they placed him on the same motorbike that brought him earlier and took
him to Odo-Eran area where some other Aiye members were already waiting for his
arrival. I was returning from where I went to collect prayer water for Yusuf
for protection when news of his death reached me. I tried to rush to the scene,
but I was prevented. I later went to Bariga Police Station, where I saw the
remains of my son in the police pick up van where he laid.”
Asked if Yusuf was a member of the
cultist, she responded: “My son was once a member of Aiye, but not anymore. I
was in the mosque one fateful day when I heard some boys discussing that Yusuf
was their member. When it was night, I woke up in the middle of the night, knelt
down before him and asked him if he was a member. He didn’t lie to me; he
promised to renounce his membership. Since he renounced his membership, these
cultists had been pursuing him up and down.”
Muibat further said: “I tried all I
could as a mother to prevent him from this untimely death; even when I didn’t
know my son was a cultist. I always advise him not to join them. I told him
that whoever joined cultism, death is the end. I never knew then that he was a
member.”
Weeping silently, she sniffed: “Where
do I start from now? I have sold all my belongings to make sure that my
children get the best.”
She opened her wardrobe to show our
correspondent its emptiness.
“After they killed my son, Usman
came to tell that government officials held a peace parley with various cult
groups in Bariga and Oworoshoki. They agreed to give me N100, 000, which I told
him I didn’t want,” said Muibat.
She stressed: “Those who killed my
son are Akeju, Emir, Small Shaggy, Mosquito, Stone, He don’t tel and Gbebo. The
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu should go after these suspects.”
The deceased’s sister, Kehinde
Onifade said that her brother’s death came to her as a surprise.
She disclosed that three days before
Yusuf’s death, he was sleeping on the mattress when, “I begged him to allow me
take something under the mattress. Immediately I took what I wanted to take, I
went straight to my father’s house at Temple Street in Bariga.”
She added: “I returned from father’s
house and was about to eat my breakfast when my twin sister came to tell me
that she heard cultists had murdered Yusuf. Immediately, I rushed to Bariga Police Station.
When I got there the policemen had covered my brother shattered brains with bag.
That was how I started crying. I was chased out of the police station by the
policemen for disturbing them. I have lost a generous brother. I will miss him
greatly.”
A woman, who simply identified
herself as Nike, a neighbour of Muibat, said: “It was a pathetic situation in our
community after the news about the death of Yusuf filtered into the town. He
was nice and generous person. I pray God to console his mother. The woman sold all
her belongings to make sure her children get the best. She didn’t want them any
of them to join bad gangs.”
God appears to have answered Muibat’s cry for
justice as latest information received on the murder of Yusuf, revealed that operatives
of the Anti- Cultism Unit, Lagos Police Command, have Akeju.
It was gathered that immediately news of his arrest filtered
out, there was wild jubilation among residents of Bariga and Oworoshoki.
Residents claimed that Akeju has killed close to 30
people in both communities within the last two years. Our correspondent
gathered that the last victim killed Akeju before his arrest was Yusuf.
Mrs. Peju Adebowale said that when she and other
residents heard about Akeju’s arrest, they were a bit relieved.
She said: “Why I said we were a bit relieved was
that the community would be peaceful, at least within the time he would spend
in police detention. Unfortunately, there are people, who always used to bail
him whenever he and his members were arrested. This is not the first time Akeju
would be arrested. I want to appeal to the police to do a thorough job on his
case. We don’t want him to return to both communities. His return will be
terrible for everyone. In fact, between January and February, we have had series
of killing in Oworonshoki. Even a member of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) Commander
was killed by Swagger. The said Swagger is the second in command to Akeju in
Oworonshoki.”
Another resident, Mrs Jadesola Ibiyemi said: “On
Thursday before the suspect was arrested, Akeju shot six persons that were
sitting at Odunsi Street in Oworoshonki. Among those shot was a baker, Lateef,
while five others who sustained various degrees of injuries are still receiving
treatment at hospital.”
Ibiyemi further narrated: “When they came to attack
the baker, Akeju and his boys wore military camouflage. They threatened to
crush whoever tried to stop them. We are always living in fear in Oworonshoki
and Bariga because of these bad boys."
A resident of Bariga, who simply gave his name as
Adeolu said: “Bariga and Oworonshoki are interwoven. When these boys commit
crime in Bariga, they will run to Oworonshoki. If they commit at Oworonshoki,
they will to Bariga. We are tired of the boys. A lot of innocent souls have
died through Swagger and Akeju. Police should also come after him and prosecute
him accordingly. Most parents have relocated from Bariga to other parts of
Lagos because of the notorious life style of the cultists. These cultists want
to influence children in the communities and force them into cultism. This is
why parents are relocating their families. These communities are not conducive
place."
When our correspondent contacted the Lagos State
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bala Elkana to confirm the arrest
of Akeju, he promised to make his findings and get back to our correspondent.
But as at press time, he was yet to get back to the correspondent.
No comments:
Post a Comment