Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A wave of panic swept through the Abule Ijesha area of Yaba, Lagos State, on the evening of Saturday, August 1, 2026, after suspected cultists shot and killed a security guard and wounded at least three other persons with stray bullets. The victim, identified only as Godwin, was attacked near his duty post by assailants who arrived in a vehicle, shot him in the head, and then attacked him with an axe before fleeing the scene. The incident has once again thrown the spotlight on the recurring menace of cult-related violence in the Yaba axis, which is home to major educational institutions and a dense residential population.
According to a police source who spoke on condition of anonymity, the attackers confronted Godwin close to where he was working and carried out the killing with lethal precision. The source told PUNCH Metro: “We received a report that gunmen suspected to be cultists killed a security guard identified as Godwin in the area. The assailants came in a vehicle and shot him not far from his duty post. Eyewitnesses also reported that they attacked him with an axe.” The combination of gunshot and axe wounds is often described as a hallmark of cult assassinations, designed to send a gruesome message to rivals. After ensuring the victim was fatally wounded, the perpetrators fired sporadically into the air as they sped away, a tactical manoeuvre intended to scatter witnesses and create chaos to cover their escape.
The indiscriminate gunfire during the getaway immediately compromised civilian safety in the bustling neighbourhood. An anti-cultism monitoring platform, Naija Confra, claimed in a post that three young women sustained bullet wounds after the attackers fired randomly at other people in the area. “Eyewitnesses reported that the attackers came in a white Mercedes-Benz, shot at Ibadan, and then attacked him with an axe on the head and hand,” the platform reported. “The attackers were also said to have fired randomly at other people in the area, leaving three innocent girls with bullet wounds. It is unclear whether their random shooting killed another person.” The Lagos State Police Command has yet to confirm the reported injuries or any additional casualties linked to the attack. Attempts to obtain an official reaction from the command’s spokesperson, CSP Abimbola Adebisi, were unsuccessful, as calls to her phone went unanswered and a text message sent to her had not been responded to as of the time of filing this report.
The brutal assassination has heightened concerns about the deep-rooted cultism crisis plaguing Lagos, particularly in the Yaba and Lagos Mainland axis. Groups such as the Aiye (Black Axe), Eiye, and the notoriously violent Awawa boys maintain control over various territories, running sophisticated extortion rackets and engaging in bloody turf wars for supremacy. In neighbourhoods like Yaba, home to the University of Lagos and Yaba College of Technology, cult syndicates frequently clash over control of local transport levies, protection money, and illicit drug distribution. Security guards like Godwin, who are often placed on the frontlines of this conflict, become targets simply because of their position and visibility.
The killing comes just months after the March 2026 murder of Sultan Balogun Owolabi, a student of Yaba College of Technology, who was shot dead by suspected cultists near the institution’s premises. Despite police efforts to curb the menace, cult-related violence has continued to plague the area, raising urgent questions about the effectiveness of security measures and the safety of residents, students, and other members of the public. The Lagos State Police Command has launched an investigation into the killing and is working to identify and apprehend those responsible. However, the pattern of violence has kept cult-related crime under scrutiny, particularly because of the area’s concentration of tertiary institutions and large residential populations.
As the community mourns the loss of Godwin and the injured victims receive treatment, the incident serves as a grim reminder of the persistent threat posed by cult violence in Lagos. Residents have called for intensified security operations and proactive measures to curb cult-related crimes, while the police have assured the public that efforts are ongoing to bring the perpetrators to justice. For now, the people of Yaba are left to grapple with the fear and uncertainty that have become all too familiar in a community that has endured far too many such tragedies.
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