Cultists kill bus driver in Lagos

Tragedy struck at the popular Cele bus-stop, Ijanikin area of Lagos State on Tuesday night, as a 28-year-old commercial bus driver, Abraham Umar, was shot dead by cultists ravaging the area.

Umar, popularly called Abi, who plies the Badagry expressway, was killed in his girlfriend’s mother restaurant at about 9:30p.m. when the hoodlums, numbering nine came in and shot him on the head.

According to an eyewitness account, the deceased had just finished for the day and was on his way home when he stopped over to eat at the shop, not knowing that would be his last meal.

The source said the boys came in a group after Abi parked his vehicle and went to the restaurant to eat.

“He was with his conductor and the owner of the commercial bus when one of the boys tapped him on the back, another pushed and slammed his head on the wall, and one of them put the gun on his head and shot him. 

“I was surprised because his girlfriend Elo was with them at the scene. Everybody ran away leaving his body at the scene, while she left with the killers,” he said.

It was gathered that the deceased called his sister, Aminat 10 minutes before the incident, when he enquired if she was back from work, as he was on his way home, only to receive a distress call that her brother had been shot dead.

“Abi called at 9:21p.m. asking if I was back from work that he was on his way home.

Ten minutes later, Peter and Naomi rushed to the house shouting and banging on the gate, that my brother had been shot at Cele bus-stop, and his body taken to the police station.

“My mother and uncle quickly ran to the station, but they were told that nobody was brought there.

So, they went to check him at Ademola hospital where they were told that the body was not brought to the hospital, but the police station.

So, they went back to the police station, where the officers later admitted that he was there.

They locked the body in the cell claiming he was a cultist.” 

His father, Mr. Muhammed Umaru, told journalists, who visited the house that his son had been receiving threat messages from the cultists, to leave his girlfriend, Elo alone that she belongs to one of them. “But my son kept saying everything is fine.

My son’s friend, Peter told me that the boy sending the threat messages once confronted them.

I told his auntie and uncle who warned the girl to stay away from him and also warned him to leave the girl alone, but he didn’t listen.”

Ajani Onilobo, a phone repairer said Ijanikin is a notorious area filled with cult boys who carry out their activities at will.

“They go into houses, kill and butcher people. As I am talking to you, a whole family is still at the hospital. They were attacked and butchered by these boys.

Just two weeks ago, two boys were shot and killed at the next bus stop because they refused to release their phone. 

“The Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education is not left out. It is filled with notorious boys who steal and attack people even inside the school premises. We are not safe here at all.”

Divsional Police Officer, Ijanikin Police Station, who refused to give his name, confirmed the incident.

He said he received the report that a boy was shot dead, after receiving several threat messages, which the girlfriend knows about.