No respite for Ikorodu residents as Badoo attacks continue

• We Have Tried To Sell Our Houses But Nobody Is Buying, Residents Lament
• Women Take To The Streets, Protesting Continuous Loss Of Lives

Residents of Ikorodu, Ibeshe in particular were once again thrown into mourning and sorrow this week as another Badoo attack took place at Oke-Ota in Ibeshe Ikorodu, where a family of five was viciously murdered in their sleep, leaving four dead and one battling for her life in an undisclosed hospital. Despite several assurances from several security agencies in the state, this recent attack has revealed that these criminals have no intention of stopping on their own.

A visit by The Guardian to the town of Ibeshe showed that the people are at their wits end. Deserted and melancholic, the once bubbling town ahs become a shadow of its former self and the people still remaining there, are people that cannot afford to move to another place. Most wore long faces and it was obvious that the continuous ritualistic murders have taken its toll on businesses and lifestyle in general. A resident (name withheld) living close to where the recent attack took place, said she was confused on what to do next. “We thought the problem has died down and we all have started breathing normally but we were sadly mistaken.

I couldn’t believe when I heard about the recent attack, all the fears and anxieties came back a hundred fold. I have taken my children to spend the holidays with my sister in Ibadan but I don’t think they will be coming back here again as I would make arrangements for them to continue their schooling over there. This is not a way to live. We have tried putting up our house for sale so that we can move to another place but nobody is showing interest. One person that even showed interest, immediately he heard the property was in Ibeshe, he backed out. I don’t have the money to move elsewhere, if I did, I would move and leave this place immediately,” she said with tears in her eyes.

People could be seen in groups, discussing the latest attack and another resident said they have decided to renew their neighborhood watch. According to him, “we relaxed the neighborhood watch for some time now because we thought the problem is over. It’s obvious the criminals were just waiting for us to relax before striking again. This has been a recurring problem for the last two years and despite several cries to the police and other security agencies, it is as if we have been abandoned and left on our own. We expected government to be more proactive, send in security forces and flush this people out but it seems they are just scratching the surface of the problem.”

This is coming on the heels of the arrest of the bale of Ipakodo and the discovery of a shrine in the Agbowa area of Ikorodu containing several gravesites and fetish items. A member of the Oodua People’s Congress (O.P.C) who spoke on condition of anonymity said the shrine is neither the first nor the last of its kind in the area. “There are several shrines like these round Ikorodu. Many people know where they are and what they do there but would not speak out due to fear. Some are even inside fenced compounds with the owners going and coming with nobody the wiser of what is really happening inside. Sadly, I have to say that many Ikorodu people are into a lot of diabolical practices and they know the people behind these things. We are urging people to come out and tell us if you see anything suspicious or know anybody involved in strange activities, we would investigate and keep your identity a secret.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of women from Ibeshe, Ikorodu, embarked on a peaceful protest to the palaces of two royal fathers, the Onibeshe of Ibeshe land, Oba Richard Ogunsanya and the Ayangburen of Ikorodu Oba Kabiru Shotobi over incessant killings by the ritual cultists, Badoo.
The women, led by wife of a community leader, Mrs. Adelakun Nike, began the protest as early as 7am at the palace of Onibeshe of Ibeshe land, asking the traditional ruler to find a permanent solution to the killings.

Pointing out that their communities have become deserted deserted due to the incessant killings while commercial activities have been put on hold since the killings started about two years ago, they displayed placards and photographs of some of the victims of the attacks, saying they no longer sleep with two eyes closed for fear of the unknown. She added that many families are traumatized, leading to mass relocation from the town, accusing both the state government and traditional rulers of being silent over the issue and complicity

She promised to proceed to Governor Ambode’s office if immediate action was not taken to stop the dastardly attacks. However, the traditional rulers and chiefs calmed the protesters assuring that all will be well.

Speaking with a top security officer after rising from a meeting with the Ayangburen and other top security agencies, he told The Guardian that community policing is the way forward. According to him, “You cannot leave policing for the police alone, everyone needs to get involved. The police cannot be everywhere at the same time but have to rely on people to help by giving credible information and being their neighbour’s keeper. These days, every little thing, people would shout ‘Badoo’ not minding if it is true or not. This is driving fear into people and making everywhere extremely tense. It’s you people that gave them the name ‘Badoo’ because I don’t think any of them has been caught and confessed that he belongs to the gang and the name of said gang is Badoo.”

“The police is trying their best to stay on top of the situation and manage it to the best of their abilities but we need everyone’s help. I can assure you that crime has gone down in this zone and the perpetrators of this evil would soon face the music,” he assured. When asked about the protesting women and their demands, he said he wasn’t aware of any such protest that took place.