Clampdown on Badoo ritual cult: Police raid hideouts, arrests 87 more suspects, declare 20 wanted

.As Senator Ashafa appeals for calm, condemns jungle justice

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Barely 24 hours when Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode marching order to security agencies to stamp out the menace of deadly ritual cult gang, called, “Badoo”, the Lagos State Police Command, in collaboration with other security agencies and local security volunteers yesterday arrested 87 suspected Badoo members while declaring 20 other people wanted in connection with activities of the group in Ikorodu.

It will be recalled that worried by the rising cases of kidnapping and the menace of ritual cult group, Ambode on Thursday, at the mega commissioning of projects in Epe axis of the state which included; newly rehabilitated fire station, Jubilee Resort, and new Ultra-Modern Access Bank Branch, expressed deep concern, assuring residents of his administration commitment to arrest the situation forthwith.

The latest arrest, which was in continuation of the clamp down on the cultists, made it a total of 225 suspects arrested so far at press time as the police in collaboration with local vigilance groups had arrested 138 suspects last Sunday.

Lagos State Police Commissioner, CP Fatai Owoseni, disclosed that the 87 suspected Badoo members were arrested in an all-night operation on their hideouts in Owutu and Odongunyan in Ikorodu.

Those declared wanted for cult related killings include: Moshood (a.k.a Mosho); Alfa (a.k.a King of Boys); Papa; Fela; Alakoto and Chukwudi.

The police also declared 14 others wanted for kidnapping in Ikorodu. They include: Agbara; O/C; Femi (a.k.a FM); Pencil, Odidan; Jaru; Allen; Bush; Happiness; Fagbo; Junior; Nuru and Jamiu.

The police therefore, called on the suspects to come out of their hideouts and report themselves to the nearest police station.

The Command equally advised members of the public with useful information on the suspects who are all residents of Ikorodu to assist the police.

It was gathered that the raid was an extensive operation on the two areas – Odongunyan and Owutu which was also necessitated by more intelligence on the membership of the dreaded cult group and their mode of operations.

Before the operations, the police in conjunction with members of the Department of State Security Service, DSS, and representatives of the Nigerian Army, Lagos Neighbourhood Security Corps and Odua Peoples’ Congress (OPC) met with herbalists and Babalawos in Ikorodu and its suburbs on the need to collaborate with the police to wipe out the cult group in Ikorodu.

Representing Owoseni at the meeting, Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Imohimi Edgal warned the herbalists and Babalawo and local vigilantes to eschew jungle justice, stressing that the Command would not tolerate further excesses from the security stakeholders.

Edgal solicited for more information that would help the police to speedily end the activities of the group in the area.

The Police Commissioners later met with monarch and lower traditional rulers in Ikorodu called as “Baales”.

Also involved in the exercise were the Commander, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), ACP Olatunji Disu; Acting Area Commander, Ikorodu and all Divisional Police Officers in Ikorodu among other senior police officers.

Ambode tasks security agencies, monarchs, residents

Ambode, in his address at the commissioning, said “Am deeply concerned about the issue of kidnapping in the state and also the recent development that has been happening in Ikorodu about mob action and also the issue of Badoo cult group.

“But the truth is that the government is more than ever committed to ensure the safety of lives and properties and we would do everything within our capacity to ensure that the city and the state stabilizes.

“We know that no amount of expenditure is enough to keep the city safe. I just want to assure Lagosians that we are doing everything possible.

“We do not run the government on the pages of the newspapers, and that’s why you see that we do not make comments on the newspapers, but we are trying as much as possible to make sure that we get these children back safely which is more important for us and also make sure that we tighten the security in our water ways to make sure that we support the security agencies in ensuring that the right things are done and then we keep pace.

“This is also a good opportunity for me to say this since the majority of our traditional rulers are here, we just want to pass a message to say that we need to come together and ensure that we speak to all our baales in the communities that we are having issues and also in Ikorodu to say that we must speak to ourselves.

“We have intelligence here that some of these things are coming from within us and our Kabiyesis and Obas (traditional rulers) need to do something as quickly as possible to arrest this decadence that we have here. As far as the Badoo case is concerned, I dont believe that it has anything to do with a disappearing ghost. I don’t also believe that the rituals can be taking place, without some people not being behind it.

“So, I challenge all our Kabiyesis and all our traditional rulers and Baales, we must arrest this situation as quickly as possible and show that traditional value that we have always been known for and then we would continue to support you.”

Senator Ashafa appeals for calm

Earlier in a statement, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, representing Lagos East in the Senate, urged Ikorodu residents to give necessary information that could lead to the arrest of the dreaded Badoo cult members that have been terrorizing the community and handover such suspects when apprehended to the police authorities rather than resorting to jungle justice.

Ashafa, made the appeal in reaction to the latest killing of innocent people last Tuesday, in Owode Ajegunle area of Ikorodu and the subsequent lynching of some apprehended Badoo suspects.

The latest victims included a woman, her two-year-old daughter and a female visitor and her daughter.

The victims were reportedly killed when suspected cultists attacked the Crystal Church of Christ (Aladura), at Victor Anibaba Street, while the victims were holding a prayer vigil.

Ashafa, while condemning the heinous activities of the cult group, however, decried the rising incidents of jungle justice in the area. He lamented that some of the victims are sometimes innocent, law abiding members of the society.

Ashafa however, commended the people of Ikorodu for resisting the activities of the group within their community.

In his words, “I must commend the resilience of the Ikorodu people who have unequivocally said NO to the presence of such a nefarious group within the Ikorodu community. Also, I commend the efforts of the Government of Lagos State ably led by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, in conjunction with Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, various vigilante groups including the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, and the Onyabo who have mobilized with the police to flush out, neutralize and prosecute as many of such criminals as exist within the Ikorodu environment.

“Unfortunately, I have also received the news that in the process of resisting the members of the Badoo Cult group, the residents of Ikorodu have taken the laws into their hands and resorted to jungle justice.

“In some instances as reported, people have been arrested and lynched to the extent of being burnt to death. This is absolutely unacceptable; it is against the tenets of humanity and justice.”

He therefore, urged the people of Ikorodu and its environs to remain law abiding while staying vigilant and alert the police authorizes and other security agencies in the face of rising insecurity, stating that “As the people of Lagos East, we must continue to be civil and law abiding in all we do. While our disposition in the face of rising insecurity must be that of vigilance and alertness, I strongly believe that we must channel all our suspicions through the appropriate channels for arrest, rather than taking the laws into our hands.”

“Lagos East boasts of the noblest, enlightened, industrious, intellectually advanced and law abiding people. We cannot in 2017 allow ourselves to be returned to the primitive days of jungle justice because most often than not mob action results in wrongful punishment for innocent citizens like you and I.”

Meanwhile, the police in Lagos had instructed residents of Ikorodu to always have on them a valid means of identification.

The command said this would make its job easier, as the command would be carrying out a series of operations in the town to root out members of the Badoo cult.

 

 

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