Some gunmen invaded the palace of the Oba of Gbokoto land, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba G.O Olukunle, shooting repeatedly, on Sunday, September 11, 2022.
The police spokesman in Ogun State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident on Monday, September 12, 2022.
What the police said: Oyeyemi said they were nabbed “while attempting to kill the traditional ruler in his palace,” as directed by his son.
The Police Public Relations Officer identified the suspects as, Hammed Jelili, Michael Ayodele, Monday Samuel, Ademola Matthew, Ogundele Ojeh and Sunkanmi Fadina.
It was gathered that the gunmen, said to be suspected members of the Eiye cult group, have been arrested by the police.
The story: According to reports, the monarch had made a distress call to the police at Oja-Odan division around 4:25 pm, saying “some cultists were about to kill him in his palace.”
Upon the distress call, the DPO of the Oja-Odan division was said to have mobilized his men to the palace, “where they met the hoodlums shooting sporadically.”
Oyeyemi said the “policemen engaged them in a shootout and eventually subdued the cultists and got six amongst them arrested.”
On interrogation, Oyeyemi informed that the arrested suspects had confessed to being members of the Eiye confraternity.
“They also informed the police that, it was the son of the Oba who is now at large that invited them to come and eliminate his father because of an unresolved issue the Oba has been having with his mother,” Oyeyemi said.
He reported that one locally-made double-barrelled pistol, two live cartridges and one expended cartridge were recovered from the suspects.
The said son of the Oba, according to Oyeyemi, had fled “with another gun belonging to the group.”
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole has ordered the immediate transfer of the six arrested men to the State CIID in Eleweran, Abeokuta, even as he ordered that the fleeing son of the traditional ruler be hunted, to bring him to justice.
About Eiye Confraternity
Sources indicate that the Supreme Eiye Confraternity is also known as the Air Lords or the National Association of Airlords. Sources describe Eiye as a "secret cult" or "unlawful society". Sources further indicate that Eiye is one of a number of similar groups active in Nigeria.
According to sources, Eiye was founded at the University of Ibadan. The BBC reports that the group was created in the 1970s. According to Eiye's Facebook page however, the organization was founded in 1963 with the purpose "to uphold the core nature of the African culture with a commitment to excellence" and "to make positive impact on the socio-political psyche of Nigeria and ensure complete break away from the colonial/imperial cultural domination of the time". The same source states that Eiye "remains true to the vision of her founders".
The BBC reports that although Eiye's "original intention was to make a positive contribution to society," it is an "organized crime group" from which, over time, "many members went astray, committing violence in Nigeria and delving into crime abroad". The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) similarly describes Eiye as a "criminal group". Jane's Intelligence Review states that Eiye is made up of "members of old secret societies transformed into criminal associations".