By Peter.
A traditional masquerade festival in Lagos’ Orile Iganmu community descended into tragedy last Tuesday when rival cult groups unleashed gunfire, killing at least three people and injuring several others, residents and an anti-cultism group reported.
The annual Igunnuko masquerade event, a cultural staple symbolizing peace and warding off calamity, was underway when the violence erupted. The towering Igunnuko masquerade had just emerged—customarily accompanied by celebratory shots fired skyward—when suspected cultists from the Aye side targeted rivals directly, turning the festivities into a battlefield.
Eyewitness Toyosi told reporters: “They were supposed to be firing shots behind the masquerader… but the shooting changed when some boys and their rivals sighted each other. That was when one of the suspected cultists and his boys started aiming at their rivals.” Another local lamented: “The festival is celebrated every year to allow peace… but what happened was otherwise. This is very unusual.”
Panic gripped the area as crowds scattered; two bodies were left at the scene, while one was reportedly removed. Anti-cult platform Naija Confra on X detailed: “Babalawo, the notorious Eiye cultist, is said to have fled to Ilorin, Kwara State.”
Lagos Police Command has not issued an official statement, but residents urge swift arrests to restore the festival’s peaceful legacy. In a city where cult violence claims hundreds yearly, this incident underscores the urgent need for community safeguards.
#OrileIganmuShooting #IgunnukoFestival #LagosCultClash
