Police shoot three as residents lynch suspected Badoo cultist in Ikorodu

• Lagos Assembly wants police commands in Ikorodu, Epe to stem killings
A violent clash, which broke out between policemen and residents of Aga area of Ikorodu, Lagos State left three persons hit by stray bullets yesterday.

The incident occurred at Oni-Ogunsanya Street, near the community’s Olomomeje mosque. Policemen were said to have fired shots to disperse a crowd that gathered to lynch a suspected member of murderous cult gang, Badoo.

The suspect, identified as Vincent Onama, was caught around 2a.m. by members of the local vigilance group, Onyabo, while allegedly trying to dispossess and/or kill a motorcyclist.

It was gathered that the vigilance members after interrogating Onama, locked him inside a room till dawn for proper identification.

But when they went to the room he was kept, the suspect had allegedly applied black oil on his body and was attempting to escape through the window, a tactic often used by the notorious Badoo gang.

At that point, the vigilance members were said to have been convinced he was a Badoo member and notified residents of the community, who trooped to the location to see the suspect.

They were stopped by policemen who tried to whisk him away to safety. However, attempts by the police to take the suspect away was aborted by the mob, including youths in the area.

To have their way, the policemen released gunshots in order to disperse the crowd, which hit three persons.

Angered by the development, the youths engaged the policemen in a fight resulting to a full-blown crisis in the area.

It was gathered that Onama had lived in the neighborhood but relocated to Ajah, from where he came to the area and was caught at the wee hours of yesterday.

A resident, Tunde, who spoke with newsmen, said the suspect mounted a roadblock to either collect his victim’s motorcycle or kill him.

“It was the anger the police provoked that led to his being killed. Initially, the people were questioning him. It was when the policemen fired shot and hit three people that the mob brought him out, lynched him and burnt him to death.

“One person was hit on the head and he was rushed to the hospital. I can’t say if he died or not. Another person was hit on the hand. I don’t know where the bullet touched the third victim.”

Ikorodu Ambassadors’ Coordinator, Rasheed Fatuga said: “We call on the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabir Adewale Shotobi and other royal fathers to rise up and save the division from its current ugly and bad name.”

The Guardian gathered that state’s Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, visited the scene and addressed the crowd.

He sued for peace and appealed to the people to avoid mob justice, assuring them that he was personally leading investigations on the insecurity in Ikorodu.

As part of measures to curb the incessant security unrest in Ikorodu, the Lagos State House of Assembly has called for the establishment of police commands in Ikorodu and Epe axis respectively.

Raising the issue under matter of urgent public importance during plenary yesterday, the Majority Leader, Sanai Agunbiade, from Ikorodu Constituency 1, lamented the security threats in the area.

Agunbiade revealed that the mayhem started in Ibeshe area of the state and disclosed that he got a phone call this morning (Monday) that a member of the cult group was arrested by the vigilance group in the area. He noted that the culprit was however lynched before the arrival of the police.

The Majority Leader then called on the Lagos State police boss, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, to intensify security in Ikorodu and Epe and also expose the sponsors of Badoo cult group and other criminals in the area.

He said: “An ad-hoc committee should be set up by the House to invite officers of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) to interact with them on the security challenges in the state and the functionality of their job.”

The Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, sympathized with the people of Ikorodu over the incident and the people of Epe over the kidnap of six students in the Model College in Igbonla, Epe.

According to him, such an incident ought not to occur when there is a government in place. The Speaker said everything must be done to end the menace, and that the government should be proactive about the matter.