A 26-year-old artisan identified as Timehin has been killed during a suspected cult initiation ceremony in the Awoyaya area of Eti-Osa Local Government, Lagos State. The fatal incident occurred on July 18, when the initiation gathering was violently interrupted by suspected members of a rival cult group.
According to multiple local sources, Timehin was taken into a secluded bush that evening to be inducted into a cult. However, the ceremony turned deadly when armed attackers stormed the location and opened fire. The initiators reportedly fled the scene in panic, but Timehin was unable to escape and was shot.
A family member who spoke out under anonymity revealed that Timehin had left home claiming he was going to visit a friend. “Since he was an adult, no one questioned his movement. We only discovered the next day that a corpse had been found in the bush near the UBA bus stop in Awoyaya. We rushed there and, sadly, it was him. We took him to the hospital hoping he was still alive, but he was confirmed dead on arrival,” the source said.
A resident familiar with the situation added that Timehin sustained bullet wounds to the neck and hand. The individual also confirmed that community members only later discovered the gathering was an initiation ritual. “There’s been no official confirmation from the police, but that’s the information circulating,” the resident noted.
Efforts to reach Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, were unsuccessful as phone calls went unanswered and a message sent to him remained unreplied at press time.
This incident adds to the growing concerns over cult-related violence in Lagos. On July 16, there were reports that three individuals—identified as Agbara, Butcher, and an unnamed plumber—were hacked to death by suspected cultists in Ebute Meta. Agbara was said to have been attacked earlier in the Lagos Street area, his body later discovered with deep machete injuries.
In another case reported in May, a violent clash between rival cult groups in Owode Ajegunle ended in the death of a young man known as Sparkle. That confrontation was believed to be a retaliatory strike for a previous killing.
The rising frequency of cult-related killings has raised alarms among residents and security experts, who are urging the Lagos State Government and law enforcement agencies to intensify efforts to crack down on cult activities and restore safety in vulnerable communities.