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| Suspected Badoo Cult member burnt to death recently in Ikorodu |
It was indeed a journey of no return for three members of
the notorious ritual cult group, Badoo in Odogunyan Ikorodu as they were caught
and burned to ashes early this morning.
An eye witness told BRANDINFO that three of them were caught
around 2am early this morning when they were about to attack a particular
family.
“Three members of Badoo cult were caught in Odogunyan early
this morning. They were about to attack a particular family when they were
caught and were immediately burnt to ashes. They came with a Jeep which was
also burnt. In that jeep we saw a lot of grounding stone which they usually
used to kill their victims, ” our source disclosed.
It would be recalled that the dreaded gang killed three persons
and injuring several others last week in the same Odogunyan.
No fewer than 26 people, have been killed by Badoo since
they have started their operation in Ikorodu according the PUNCH.
The deaths were recorded in 15 attacks by the gang between
June 5, 2016, and June 27, 2017.
No fewer than 14 persons were also injured in the attacks.
Badoo was first heard of on June 5, 2016, when suspected
members of the gang struck at Oke Ota community in Ibeshe, raping and killing a
27-year-old Ghanaian, Obinna.
On July 9, the gang returned to Ibeshe, attacked one
60-year-old Francisca and blinded her 10-year-old daughter, Marvellous.
On Saturday, July 23, a Badoo member sneaked into a
Celestial Church of Christ building in Itesiwaju community – a suburb of Ibese
– while a vigil was ongoing and abducted an eight-year-old girl.
The girl was raped to a coma, but a suspected member was
caught later that day and set ablaze by a mob.
On October 21, 2016, the gang attacked a family in Oluwoye
community, killing a pregnant woman, Afusat Yusuf.
Her husband, Kazeem, and the couple’s two kids –Rodiat and
Opeyemi – were injured.
On November 4, 2016, a 62-year-old widow identified only as
Mrs. Ogunleye, and her two children, Seun and Funlola, were the targets in the
Owode-Ibeshe area. They sustained varying degrees of injury.
On December 26, 2016, the attackers struck on Saka Adegbose
Street, killing two siblings, Azeezat Oriade and Abeeb Oriade.
On March 1, 2017, Badoo members attacked a family on
Mosafejo Street, Agbowa, Ikorodu, killing three siblings between ages four and
nine and their mother.
On April 11, 2017, a family of three was wiped out in Ibeshe
Tuntun by the gang.
On May 4, the suspected ritual killers wreaked havoc on a
family of six in Adamo, Imota, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, killing a
couple – Taofiq Agbaje and Simiat Agbaje – and two of their four children,
Rodiat and Toyeebat.
On May 30, the gang attacked a family on Olaiya Close,
Erunwen, Ikorodu. Again, a couple – Israel Olusanya, Rukayat Olusanya – and
their children, Wale Olusanya and six-year-old Semilore Olusanya, were killed.
The only survivor was a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School III pupil, Tolu
Olusanya.
On June 10, 2017, the hoodlums broke the head of a pastor,
Wale Solomon, in Lasunwon town. They killed a couple in Ogijo on June 23, 2017.
In the latest murder by the gang, which occurred on June 28,
a family of five – Ike David, 50; Magret David, 28; Ike David (Jnr) 5; Matthew
David, 4; and two-year-old Friday David – were all killed in their rented
apartment at Olopomeji, Odogunyan.
While the couple and Ike (Jnr) died on the spot, Matthew and
Friday gave up the ghost at the Ikorodu General Hospital.
The residents said the police and the state government were
clueless on how to stop the attacks.
However, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police
Command, Olarinde Famous-Cole, said the command had activated operational
strategies, adding that some areas suspected to be hideouts of Badoo cult had
been identified.
He said, “There are a series of operations going on to
ascertain various areas that are prone to attacks in the Ikorodu area. Hideouts
and criminal black spots have been identified and moves to hit these criminals
are being conducted as we speak.
“Based on the reliable intelligence we got from community
leaders, the Oodua People’s Congress and Onyabo, we will tackle these criminals
and put a complete stop to their activities.
“Continuous meetings with the relevant stakeholders in the
area and in the state generally are being encouraged for credible information.
The command urges members of the public to come forward to help in intelligence
gathering that can aid security agencies.”
He promised to get back on the number of deaths.
The spokesperson for the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan,
which supervises Ogun and Lagos police commands, SP Dolapo Badmus, said the
zone had come up with “operational strategies” to tackle the crime.
“The AIG has directed the (Lagos) command to engage all the
stakeholders with a view to putting an end to the killings,” she added.
Asked why the killing persisted despite the Lagos State
investment in security, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr.
Steve Ayorinde, said, “There is no persistence of atrocities in Lagos. We
should not take isolated cases to conclude hastily.
“General safety has improved since the investment in
security by this government. Considering its huge headcount and daily influx of
people and situating this with the successes being recorded, this is still the
most secured state in Nigeria.
“The government will continue to invest in security and work
with the police to reduce crime and bring criminals to justice.”
Meanwhile, the President of the Association of Industrial
Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria, Dr Ona Ekhomu, advised the police to
use undercover operatives to gain insights into the activities of the gang.
He urged that active vigilance groups should also be formed
in Ikorodu.
Ekhomu equally advised that a hotline should be made
available for people who might want to give information about the gang, adding
that a bounty could also be placed on the perpetrators.
Ekhomu said, “There will be a lot of evidence and clues left
at the crime scenes by the assailants, which the police can pick up to arrest
and prosecute the perpetrators. The real reason people don’t engage in
criminality is because they are deterred by the law. But unfortunately, we have
incapable guidance in Nigeria; strategies are supposed to be put in place to
prevent the attacks.”
A former Director of Department of State Services, Mr.
Micheal Ejiofor, said there was the need for the residents to be conscious of
their surroundings and report suspicious movements to security agencies.
“I agree that the police are to blame partly; however, the
community also has a role to play. Residents should organise a neighbourhood
watch, liaise with the police and mount barricades so that when they see
suspicious movements at night, they will raise the alarm.” he added.
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