Palpable fear has gripped residents and traders at Mile 12, in the Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State, after cultists allegedly killed a Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Sulaimon Onaolapo, aka Ariku, in the area.
A video which went viral on Sunday evening, showed no fewer than four suspected cultists using cutlasses to hack Onaolapo till he died.
The incident has caused tension as residents expressed fear over a reprisal by Onaolapo’s loyalists.
While some residents said Onaolapo was killed over cult-related activities, other members of the community said the NURTW boss was killed over control of transport parks in the area.
A resident, Mary Olayemi, said she and her family members were just leaving the church on Sunday when they heard gunshots.
She said, “When we heard the gunshots, we ran into a compound and when all was clear, we saw that Onaolapo (Ariku) had been killed with machetes.
“We heard that they had been looking for him and around 12pm yesterday, that they tracked him and got him. The fights among NURTW people have been happening for some time. We are afraid that they might continue this violence next week.”
A trader in the area also said, “many shop owners did not open for business and those who did are careful because anything can happen. My family members must not know that I am in the market but I have to sell.”
Another resident, who identified herself only as Alhaja Akingbade for security reasons, lamented that her husband’s car was set ablaze.
“My husband left home around past 12pm. It was not long after he left that we heard people shouting. We had to lock ourselves indoors. It was when we came out that we discovered that my husband’s car had been burnt.
