Yahoo boy arrested after killing friend in clash over locked door

In a tragic incident on August 18 at Oluwo area of Abeokuta, Ogun State, 25-year-old Odeh (first name withheld) was arrested after a fight with his friend, Tunde (first name withheld), a.k.a. Sapele, resulted in the latter’s death.

The altercation began when both men, reportedly Yahoo boys and members of the Eiye Confraternity, clashed in a heated argument that escalated to violence, leading to Tunde’s death after bottles were smashed on their heads.

The Ogun State Police Command confirmed the arrest, with police spokesperson SP Omolola Odutola identifying both individuals as Yahoo boys and cult members. Odutola stated that the fight started when Tunde returned home and was angered that Odeh, who was sleeping in his apartment, didn’t open the door for him.

This triggered a series of violent exchanges, with both smashing bottles on each other. Unfortunately, Tunde slipped, hitting his head on a broken bottle, which caused fatal injuries.

Neighbours alerted the police, and Tunde was rushed to Federal Medical Centre, Idi Aba. After a few days of treatment, his mother, unable to afford the medical bills, took him home, where he later died. Odeh was subsequently arrested and transferred to the state’s Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran.

Odeh, in a Tribune interview, recounted his background, revealing that he had been forced into joining the Eiye Confraternity in Lagos in 2019 while engaging in Yahoo business.

“I’m from Cross River State. I live alone at Olomore in Abeokuta but my mother is in the same town. I’m 25 years old. Before my arrest, I was into Yahoo business. I passed out of secondary school in 2014 but started doing Yahoo business in 2013. I was introduced to it by a street elder brother. My father is late,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.

“Tunde and I were involved in Yahoo business but we were not staying together. It is true I was a cult member but I didn’t join willingly. I was forced into it. I was forced to join Eiye Confraternity in Lagos in 2019. The thing is that because of Yahoo business, we don’t stay in a place to avoid being caught, so we move around. I used to go to Oshodi in Lagos where other guys used to be. We knew ourselves.”

Odeh described how the fateful encounter with Tunde unfolded. “On August 17, I told him I would be coming to sleep in his house. When I got there, I didn’t meet him, but he had told me where I would pick the key from. I went in and slept immediately because I was so tired. I was rudely woken up around 4 a.m. when someone kicked the door open. It was Tunde, saying that I refused to open the door for him. We had an argument and it stopped.”

According to Odeh, the argument reignited later, leading Tunde to smash a bottle on his head.

He said, “Blood started flowing from my head. In anger, I went to get a bottle and retaliated. He held his head, bent down, and started shouting ‘yeh’. Unfortunately, he slipped and hit his head against the sharp end of a broken bottle, which pierced him.”

Tunde was found bleeding profusely and was later transported to the hospital. Days after his discharge, he succumbed to his injuries.

Odeh expressed his regret: “What happened to my friend was not deliberate. It was not intentional. The government should have mercy on me. If I am let off the hook, I will be doing legitimate work to take care of his mother every month, I promise.”

Reflecting on the incident, Odeh urged youths to embrace patience, warning, “If you are troublesome, it will land you in trouble or calamity and put your parents in everlasting sorrow.”