LG imposes dusk-to-dawn curfew on motorcycle, tricycle operations

Following a series of violent cult clashes that have left some persons dead while others were injured in the Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State, the authorities of the LG have declared a dusk to dawn curfew on commercial motorcycles and tricycles, citing their alleged role in facilitating the escape of the perpetrators involved in the killings.

This was made known in a statement made available to the public by the LG Chairman, on Monday and confirmed to our correspondent by the LG Chairman, Jubril Odulate.

According to the statement, it was observed that the perpetrators of the killings escaped using motorcycle and tricycle after the heinous act.

The statement read, “To curb the insurrection and ensure adequate security in Sagamu, we hereby impose the following restrictions starting today, Monday, 18th, September 2023. Operating hours for Okada riders and Maruwa operators are from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. until further notice.

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“Nudity and adult entertainment establishments are prohibited in Sagamu area and no loitering of olosho on our roadsides. Please dress appropriately and refrain from indecent behavior, especially during nighttime. Non-compliance with these instructions will result in serious consequences. Those unable to adhere to these rules are advised to return to their hometown, state, or country.”

The PUNCH reported that a yet-to-be-identified number of suspected cultists invaded the Ijagba Sagamu area of Ogun State in the late hours of Sunday, killing no fewer than four people in a clash believed to be cultism-related.

A source in Ayegbami community of Sagamu LG told PUNCH Metro that the suspected cultists came to attack a rival member who lived in the area whom they did not meet at home which led them to kill six persons in the house.

Multiple accounts from eyewitnesses had it that the group shot two people when they invaded Ijagba Street beside a mosque of the community on Sunday.

The two people killed were later identified by the state police as Olasunkanmi Ajayi and a yet-to-be-identified woman, both of whom were said to have been shot in the head.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Omolola Odutola, said the number of dead victims was not as high as speculated on social media but did not gave exact figure of victims involved in the clash.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, had on Monday noted via his X (formerly Twitter) account that cult clashes in Sagamu can only be stopped through a collaborative effort of the elders and political elites in the LG.

“Sagamu case goes beyond the mere anti cultism sqaud. The elders know how to handle them. The politicians know what to do. I was in their midst in Sagamu [bet] 2006 and 2008. But no single cult clash before I left in 2008. I worked then with the late Akarigbo, Oba Michael Sonariwo and others”, he said.