Badoo to Surrender or meet thier end,The ogbonge traditionalists speaks

Some traditionalists at the palace of the Ayangburen of Ikorodu on Wednesday. Photo: Nairaland

Kunle Falayi

As law enforcement agencies remain helpless in putting a stop to killings in Ikorodu, Lagos, carried out by suspected members of a cult group known as Badoo, traditionalists in the community have taken matters into their hands in a war against the dreaded group.

The cult group is known for wiping out whole families and using objects such as pestles and rocks to smash their victims’ heads.

On Wednesday, about a hundred native doctors garbed in white attire gathered at the palace of the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi, to express their readiness to combat the group.

Many of them were armed with fetish objects like cow horns tied with red ribbons, chanting war songs.

To kickstart this phase of the “war”, the palace carried out some rituals while residents were advised to stay indoors between 11.30pm on Thursday, June 29 to 5.30am on June 30.

The Oluwo Osugbo of Ikorodu, Chief Adegboyega Adeyeri, who is one of the leaders of the traditionalists in the town, told Saturday PUNCH that they have kick-started the defeat of the Badoo group.

Even though he did not reveal specifics of measures taken, Adeyeri called on all members of the Badoo group to give themselves up as soon as possible.

He said, “We will not give a specific ultimatum to them like our fore-fathers did in the past but there are no two ways about it, all the evil doers would be caught.

“If the spirit of our fore-fathers are still with us, every member of the group or any other person responsible for killings in Ikorodu would all meet a deadly end soon unless they surrender.

“The steps we have taken would ensure that none of them escapes. When things become as worse as this, the steps we have taken become necessary.

“The killers have done their part by carrying out the killings, now we have taken our own steps and it is time for them to start feeling the sting.”

According to Adeyeri, the members of the group have taken oaths of secrecy, which was why those caught never confessed.

“Part of what we have done is to ensure that anytime one of them is caught, the suspect would surely confess by the power of our fore-fathers. All traditionalists have come together as one on this and this alone is an assurance that we cannot fail. No matter how smart or how devilish they are, we will catch them all,” Adeyeri said.

Meanwhile, the Lagos chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, on the other hand, said it was holding prayer sessions over the matter even though it had not publicised it.

The Lagos Chairman of CAN, Apostle Alexander Bamgbola, told Saturday PUNCH, “We are praying and we are always praying even though we don’t have to publicise the matter. Anything that prayers cannot handle is not an issue.

“We are also praying for the state generally and our nation. And that is all I can say about the matter at this moment.”

One of the leaders of the vigilance groups in Ikorodu, Chief Kamorudeen Bombata, told Saturday PUNCH that vigilantes across Ikorodu now embark on patrol side by side with policemen.

“Nobody is happy about what is going on in Ikorodu at this time. This is why we no longer sleep because of constant patrol in the night,” he said.  This is coming on the heels of the latest killing suspected to have been carried out by the group when a couple – Ike David, 50 and Margret David, 28; and two of their three children Ike David (Jnr.), 5 and Matthew David, 4 – were killed at Olopomeji, Odogunyan around 1am on Wednesday.

The traditional ruler of Igbogbo, one of the suburbs of Ikorodu, Oba Semiu Kasali, told Saturday PUNCH that there had been series of meetings with community development associations, security agencies and vigilance organisations in the community, adding that religious houses have also been involved to ensure prayers are offered to help combat the Badoo cult.

He said, “We have already tasked our traditionalists to do the needful in terms of appeasements needed to forestall more violence. We have also continued to sensitise our people to be vigilant. Last week, we saw an evidence of this when a suspect was caught and was nearly lynched on allegations that he belonged to the Badoo group. The divisional police officer and some of his men were almost attacked. We had to call the Army to prevent the suspect from being lynched and also helped to safeguard the police officers.

“We will continue to sensitise our people not to take the laws into their hands. But the police have a lot to do too because we have realised they are not adequately prepared to handle this situation. We urge the government to give the police formation around here the necessary support to do their job well.

However, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, said the police are currently working with the military and private security outfits to ensure the safety of residents of Ikorodu and apprehend the criminals behind the killings.