12/09/2026
๐ง๐๐๐ช๐ข ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ก๐ฆ: ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐จ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐
It was Wednesday night in May 2016.
In Apete, Ibadan, a 23-year-old man known as Taiwo Martins, popularly called Is Taiwo, was reportedly pursued by suspected members of the Black Axe Confraternity.
Taiwo was said to be a member of the Eiye Confraternity.
The pursuit eventually led to an area known as Akere, close to a drinking joint.
What happened there was brutal.
The attackers reportedly caught up with Taiwo and attacked him with an axe, striking him repeatedly on the head and chest until he died.
When the attackers left, they reportedly fired shots into the air and abandoned Taiwo's body at the scene.
The axe allegedly used in the attack was also left behind.
The sound of gunfire sent fear through the area.
Residents and shop owners reportedly fled in different directions, leaving their businesses behind.
According to the report given then, many of the shop owners had not returned by the time of publication because they feared being called by the police as witnesses.
The police at Apete Division were eventually alerted.
The Apete Divisional Police Officer, led detectives to the scene, where Taiwo's remains were recovered and later deposited at the mortuary of the state hospital in Yemetu.
But the violence did not end with Taiwo.
What followed was a reprisal.
On the same night, suspected Eiye members reportedly attacked a man identified as Usman, popularly known as Campus, who was said to be associated with the Aiye group.
He was reportedly shot and also suffered machete cuts before his attackers left him for dead.
Usman was rushed to the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
But another problem stood in the way.
The hospital was affected by an ongoing strike, and he reportedly could not receive the treatment he needed there.
His family eventually took him to Lagos State for medical attention.
The violence continued into Thursday.
At the Agbaje-Ijokodo junction, one Babalola Akeeb and Abiola Adedeji, popularly known as Olori Odo, were reportedly attacked in what appeared to be another reprisal.
Akeeb was shot in the stomach.
According to one account, his death may have been a case of mistaken identity.
Adedeji was shot in the chest and reportedly suffered two machete cuts to the head.
The police were informed, and the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Sango Division, reportedly visited the scene.
Three empty bullet shells and a cutlass were recovered.
By then, the situation had become serious enough for the police to fear that the violence could spread beyond the immediate attacks.
Taiwo's father, a retired policeman, reportedly went to the Apete Police Station on Thursday.
According to the report, he said he had nothing to say about the incident.
But he was reportedly shocked by another discovery.
When Taiwo's body was about to be placed in the morgue, charms were allegedly found around his waist.
His father reportedly expressed disbelief, saying that he had brought his children up in the Christian way.
Meanwhile, the police were already preparing for further violence.
Officers from the Apete and Sango divisions were placed on alert as the authorities tried to prevent another round of cult clashes and reprisals.
There was particular concern because Olori Odo's remains were to be buried in the same area on Friday.
The authorities feared that the burial could become another flashpoint for violence.
The then Oyo State Commissioner of Police, confirmed that the police were dealing with suspected cult-related activity.
He deployed patrol teams to the trouble spots to prevent the reprisals from escalating into what he described as high-magnitude violence.
The police also began efforts to arrest those involved in the attacks.
But his warning went beyond the immediate crisis.
He appealed to families to devote more time to caring for their children, pointing to peer influence and the danger of young people choosing the wrong friends and following destructive paths.
What happened in Apete and Agbaje-Ijokodo was more than a single killing.
One alleged cult attack triggered another.
Then another.
Within days, several young men had been killed or seriously injured, residents had fled their businesses, police were deployed to prevent further bloodshed, and a community was left wondering who might be targeted next.
That is one of the darkest features of cult violence.
The first victim may be the beginning of the story, not the end.
A death creates anger.
Anger creates retaliation.
Retaliation creates another death.
And before the cycle stops, people who may have had little or nothing to do with the original conflict can find themselves caught in the middle.
In Ibadan, in May 2016, that cycle unfolded through the streets of Apete and Agbaje-Ijokodo.
And the question remains:
How many young lives have to be destroyed before rivalry, loyalty and revenge stop being worth more than human life?
Reject Cultism โ
โ ๏ธ DISCLAIMER: This post discusses a historical incident involving alleged cult-related killings, shootings and reprisal attacks in Ibadan in May 2016. The identities and affiliations of alleged cult members, the circumstances surrounding the attacks, and some details reported at the time are based on contemporary accounts and should not be treated as judicially established facts unless confirmed by a court. References to Black Axe, Eiye/Aiye and individual involvement reflect the reporting available for the incident. This content is published for historical, educational and awareness purposes and does not glorify cultism, violence or criminal activity. Reader discretion is advised.
Iโll leave that with you.
โน๏ธ ๐ก๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐จ๐ป๐๐ผ๐น๐ฑ
