Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A man known only by the street name Stone took two bullets and a machete to the head in broad daylight, becoming yet another victim in the country's endless cycle of cult violence. The 38‑year‑old was ambushed by rival gunmen while walking along the bustling Wasimi Ake Road in Abeokuta on Sunday, his body falling into a pool of blood that shocked passersby and triggered a police manhunt. Although emergency services rushed him to the hospital, physicians declared him dead on arrival.
The 3rd of May, 2026 will be remembered by many residents of the Ogun State capital as a afternoon when violence broke into the open without warning. It was around 2:45 p.m., the sun still high, when a clash erupted between suspected rival cult groups along the road connecting Wasimi Ake to Ijemo Agbadu, specifically between the Centenary Hall and a branch of Lotus Bank. The confrontation was brief but brutal. Multiple gunshots rang out, scattering terrified pedestrians and motorists who scrambled for cover. According to an anonymous witness, the victim tried to flee, but he was quickly cut off. Shots were fired, hitting him at least twice. As he lay on the tarmac, the assailants reportedly walked up and struck his head repeatedly with a machete before melting into the surrounding streets.
The Ogun State Police Command moved quickly to contain the situation. Patrol officers from the Oke Itoku Division were deployed to the scene mere minutes after the first distress calls. Commissioner of Police Abiodun Alamutu, described as deeply concerned, ordered a full‑scale investigation. The victim was identified simply as “Stone”. The brutality of the killing forced the police to clarify what the incident was not: it was not a political assassination. “This incident did not occur at Ake Palace, did not take place within the venue of the rally, and is in no way connected to the Yayi Progressive Movement inauguration program held at Ake Palace,” the Police Public Relations Officer, Oluseyi Babaseyi, stressed. He added that the violence was strictly confined to the roadway and its adjoining neighbourhood.
The investigation quickly uncovered the dead man's identity within the criminal underworld. Police sources revealed that Stone was not just any victim. He was a former "number one", a high‑ranking leader of the infamous Buccaneer cult confraternity (also known as the National Association of Sea Dogs). His death, according to police, appears to be the result of an internal feud. Preliminary findings indicate that the assailants were members of a rival faction or a competing cult group trying to take over territory and criminal networks in the Abeokuta metropolis. “The suspected members of rival cult groups engaged in a violent confrontation, during which gunshots were fired,” Babaseyi told reporters on Monday.
There is no peace for the wicked, and for the residents of the axis, the terror was immediate. The gunfire sent traders and women carrying children on their backs running for safety behind market stalls and inside shops. However, for the community, the fear has now shifted to the unknown. Babaseyi assured the public that an “intensified manhunt” for the killers has been launched. The victim’s body was taken to the State Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta, where an autopsy is expected to confirm the cause of death beyond the obvious catastrophic wounds.
This incident is not an isolated anomaly. Abeokuta, a city renowned for its rock formations and ancient history, has in recent years struggled with a persistent resurgence of cult clashes. The Buccaneers, Eiye, and Black Axe (Aiye) confraternities have turned the city into a battleground for supremacy, often using sophisticated firearms. The police have promised a crackdown. “Members of the public are advised to remain calm but vigilant,” Babaseyi's statement read, while encouraging residents to provide timely information to investigators.
As the sun set on Abeokuta last night, the body of a man once known as Stone lay in the cold drawer of the morgue. On the streets where he walked, however, the silence was filled only by the sound of anxious whispers asking the same question. How many more must join him before the law finally catches up?
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments