Police recover battered head of slain youth in Lagos

Nigerian police recovered the severed head of a 28-year-old man, Ibikunle Tunde, who was killed during the cult clash in Mushin and Fadeyi areas of Lagos State last week.

The head was recovered on Ojelade Street, Fadeyi, on Thursday by security operatives from the Alakara Police Station.

The deceased, who had been linked to a murder last Monday, was killed in an apparent reprisal.

A resident said,

 “In the morning of Monday last week, a lottery agent, Sheriff Alasia, was killed. Tunde, who is believed to have been among the killers, was attacked on the night of that very day. He was shot several times while his head was chopped off".

“His body was recovered by the police but his head remained missing for almost four days. The killers were playing with the head in the neighbourhood and we reported to the police. On Thursday night, policemen came to Ojelade Street to recover the head.”

Sources from PUNCH metro reported that at least three people were killed during a clash involving two rival cult groups in the area.

The groups, Toba’s boys and Toheeb’s gang, have been embroiled in a long time supremacy fight which has left scores dead from both sides in the recent past.

Our correspondent reported that trouble started last week when some hoodlums belonging to the Toba group went on the rampage over the detention of their leader, Oloruntoba Joel.

They were said to have torn posters belonging to the All Progressives Congress because the party did not intervene in what they felt was a persecution of their leader.

Hoodlums belonging to Toheeb’s group were said to have led some policemen to the stronghold of Toba’s gang to make arrests for the rampage.

In the process, gunshots were reportedly fired at some of the hoodlums, which made them reinforce to repel the attack.

In the ensuing attacks and gun battle which lasted for about four days, three people lost their lives.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, told PUNCH metro on Sunday that Tunde’s head had been recovered.

“I can confirm to you that our men have recovered the head,” he said.

A source told our correspondent that the severed head had been sewed to the rest of the body.