Cultists kill musician at LASU

Damilola Olaniyan

Some suspected cult members operating on a motorcycle allegedly shot and killed a student of the Lagos State University while the latter was leaving the school through the Iba Gate on Thursday.

It learnt that the deceased, Damilola Olaniyan, was an upcoming Hip Hop artiste who went by the pseudonym Damino Damoche.

According to reports, Olaniyan, a student of Banking and Finance, was killed after writing a test at Faculty of Management Science.

A student of the institution, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said the deceased had a misunderstanding with some members of a cult group over an undisclosed issue.

 The source added that after shooting the deceased, the attackers also stabbed him repeatedly.

He said Olaniyan, a native of Ogun State, was popular on campus having produced songs with DJ Zeez and Konga in the past which had received considerable airplay.

He said, “The incident happened around 4pm when Damoche (Olaniyan) was leaving school. Some guys wielding guns and machetes on a bike started shooting at him and even after he fell to the ground, they stabbed him repeatedly before fleeing.

“At this point, everyone took cover for fear of being hit, but it was obvious that Damoche was the target.”

Asked if the deceased was a cult member, the source said it could not be ascertained immediately saying, “It is very hard to identify a cult member but Damoche was very popular, sociable and was always at every social gathering involving students.”

Meanwhile, it was learnt that policemen attached to Igando Division had evacuated the corpse.

When contacted on the telephone, LASU spokesperson, Sola Fosudo, confirmed the incident to our correspondent, but said Olaniyan was not killed on the school premises.

 “I have just confirmed from the security men on the campus and they told me that a student of the Department of Business Administration was shot. It did not happen on the campus. I was told it happened along Igando Road and he was shot by gunmen on a bike,” he said

The spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, told our correspondent that the Olaniyan’s remains had been deposited at Badagry General Hospital Mortuary.

“The incident occurred around 4pm. He was shot and killed while exiting the school’s other gate located at Iba. Apart from the gunshot wounds, several cuts were observed on the corpse. The remains have been deposited at Badagry General Hospital Mortuary while investigations have begun,” she said.

LASU, which was established in 1983, is no stranger to gang-related violence as many have either been killed or injured in the past.

Meanwhile, our correspondent, who visited the deceased’s Facebook page, discovered that he had over 5000 friends.

On his profile, the deceased, who released an album titled, ‘Fall in the Circle’ on May 2011, said it was his dream to do music collaborations with top Nigerian performers like D’Banj and 2Face.

The deceased was also described as a hardworking artiste who was desirous of making it big in the industry.

The profile reads in part, “Damino Damoche started his music trade with some guys called ‘Middle Guys’ but when things did not go well, he became a solo artiste and got parties rocking, picking up the microphone at a very tender age, doing music underground and as well organising street shows.

“Damoche is well known for being down to earth, genuine and honest. Peace always seemed to roll up naturally around him.”