Suspected
ritual cult, Badoo, terrorising Ikorodu and environs in Lagos State has struck
again, killing a couple and two of their three children at Olopomeji,
Odogunyan.
The family –
Ike David, 50; Margret David, 28; Ike David (Jnr), 5; Matthew David, 4; and
two-year-old Friday David– were reportedly attacked around 1am on Wednesday.
While the
father, a motorcycle rider, Margret and Ike Jnr died on the spot, Matthew gave
up the ghost at the Ikorodu General Hospital, where Friday, who had gone into a
coma, was also admitted.
The victims
were said to be from the Oju Local
Government Area of Benue State.
With the
Wednesday attack, the group had struck in Ikorodu three times within two weeks.
In the two
previous incidents, the hoodlums broke the head of a pastor in Lasunwon town,
opposite Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu. They killed a couple in Ogijo.
PUNCH Metro
learnt on Wednesday that the assailants had scaled the fence of a building on
Aliu Akinsanya Street, Olopomeji, where the family lived with their landlord.
The gang
members reportedly entered through a door to the Davids’ apartment and
proceeded to the bedroom where the victims slept, smashing a stone on their
heads.
It was
gathered that the killers locked the main entrance door to the building from
outside and went to two other houses, but were unsuccessful.
The
landlord, Jude Nwachukwu, who said he was asleep throughout the attack, told
our correspondent that he sensed something was amiss around 6am when he wanted
to go out and could not open the door.
He said, “I
knocked at the door of the family’s apartment, but there was no response.
I called a neigbour opposite our house.
The neighbour’s child broke the padlock they used to lock the door from
outside.
“The boy
told me that the gang also came to their house, but nobody was injured. He said
they left the stone on their premises and fled. I went to knock at the door
again without getting any response. I opened their door and found them in a
pool of blood.”
The
neigbour, Caroline Orji, said a member of the gang, who appeared naked, was
about to attack her husband when he woke up and raised the alarm.
She said,
“We suddenly saw a man naked in our bedroom around 1am with a big stone. As he
wanted to smash it on my husband, he shouted Jesus, and the man ran out. He dropped the stone on
the premises, scaled the fence and escaped. Some policemen took the stone with
them.”
A resident,
who identified herself simply as Mariam, said the spate of the attacks
suggested that the police were overwhelmed.
“The
government should help us. Policemen cannot secure our community. The
government should engage vigilance groups to protect us. We can no longer sleep
with our two eyes closed,” she added.
The
deceased’s relative, Bernabas Adama, described the deaths as devastating,
adding that he was sleeping when the landlord came to inform him about the
incident.
“On getting
to the apartment, I found the couple and Ike (Jnr) dead. We rushed Matthew and
Friday to the general hospital. Matthew died in the afternoon. Friday is still
unconscious and the hospital said he might be referred to the Lagos University
Teaching Hospital,” he added.
A member of
Onyabo, a vigilance group in the community, Morufu Ojoge, said the gang also
attacked the house of a former leader of Onyabo called Terror, but did not
succeed.
He added
that the group and its counterpart, the Oodua People’s Congress, were ready to
work with security agencies if they were mobilised.
Following
the attack, hundreds of residents stormed the palace of the Ayangbure of
Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi, to express their anger over the incessant killings
in the community.
One of the
protesters, Jackson Ode, said it was time the monarch and government brought
the menace to an end.
He said, “We
want explanations on why Badoo operates unhindered. The killings must stop.”
A woman,
Adewunmi Ojoge, said, “We have several factional Baales in Odogunyan. The
kabiyesi (Ayangbure) said no representative from Odogunyan had come to his
palace for discussion on Badoo attacks. He told us to be vigilant and that he
had met with the relevant authorities on the way forward.”
The monarch
was said to be in a meeting when our correspondent called to speak with him on
the incident.
However, a
spokesperson for the palace, who did not disclose his name, said the monarch
had initiated actions to complement the efforts of security agencies in
bringing the attack to an end.
He said,
“The protesters came and the kabiyesi had spoken to them accordingly. We have
got in touch with all the relevant security agencies and vigilantes. All the
traditionalists in Ikorodu have come together to do sacrifices and they will go
on a day-time rally today (Wednesday) and a night rally on Thursday (today).”
A police
source disclosed to PUNCH Metro that OPC and Onyabo leaders met with top
officers at the Lagos State Police Command on Wednesday to deliberate on Badoo.
The Lagos
State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, said the
police, the military and private security outfits were jointly working to
apprehend the culprits and ensure safety of the residents.
“There was
an incident involving a family of four in the community. There is a survivor.
The command is on the trail of the culprits,” he added.
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