The annual Egungun ceremony in Isheri, Magodo area of Lagos State was marred, weekend, after one of the guests, Mutiu Edunjobi, was allegedly stabbed to death by a suspected cultist.
Late Edunjobi, a 34-year-old battery charger, who resided at 3, Egbedina Street, Isheri, was said to have been lured to the party by suspected cultists, Sunday, who had plotted to kill him for being sympathetic to a rival cult group.
A fight broke out between rival cult groups at about 8p.m., during which dangerous objects were reportedly used. In the process, the father of two was allegedly stabbed in the neck by one Kehinde Lawal, a suspected cultist.
When news of Edunjobi's attack went round, youths in the area reportedly went berserk as they attempted to carry out jungle justice on his assailant and members of his cult group. Eyewitnesses said the angry youths stormed the assailant's residence at 5, Ajegunle Street, Isheri and threatened to set it ablaze but for the intervention of policemen.
He was my everything-WIFE
When Vanguard visited the deceased's home yesterday, his widow, Mariam, was seen with her 41-day-old baby, while the elder one, aged six, rested her head on her mother's lap. She said: "My husband was not a cultist. They just killed him for nothing. He was my friend, brother and father. He promised to open a shop for me when my baby turns one and half. "Now he is gone. Who will take care of me and my children?"
Father of the deceased, Mr. Dauda Edunjobi, disclosed that cultists were always at loggerheads in the area, calling on Lagos State government to address the issue, as it was getting out of hand. He maintained that his son was never a cultist.
According to the distraught father, "The person that stabbed my son to death is about 10 years his junior. They were never friends. My late son was an easy-going fellow, who was loved by all. "He was not a cult member. Their grievance was that he was sympathetic to their enemies and for that reason, they have been threatening to kill him. "My late son was invited to the party by Ipodo's brother. He never knew it was an invitation of death, as it was a deliberate plan to kill him. They have been telling people that they will kill him and now they have carried out their threat. All we want is for justice to be done."
When contacted, spokesperson for Lagos State Police Command, Dolapo Badmus, a Superintendent of Police, said: "I can confirm that at about 8p.m., one Kehinde Lawal allegedly stabbed one Mutiu Edunjobi on his neck with a knife during a fight at Edum compound, Isheri. "Edunjobi was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died. The corpse was deposited at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja for autopsy. Meanwhile, efforts are on to arrest the suspect."
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