…say they arrested innocent citizens
- Let them produce the real Badoo guys – Police
Residents of Ikorodu communities in Lagos, at the weekend, put a lie to a claim by the Lagos Police Command that it had arrested over 100 members of the dreaded Badoo cult group, saying the police arrested no real member of the killer group.
The police in Lagos had announced the successful arrest of 100 suspected Badoo members at the hideouts of the cultists in the Ikorodu axis of Lagos.
The arrests, according to the police, were made in combined efforts with other security agencies and militia groups like the Oodua People’s Congress, Onyabo, and local vigilante groups.
But our correspondent, who was at the affected communities, where the suspected cultists were arrested, gathered from various residents that the police only bombarded the communities to arrest innocent citizens to achieve publicity stunts, and also, “possibly collect bribes from those arrested.”
BADOO
The Badoo cult group is a killer squad reportedly raised by money-making ritualists. According to sources, they always strike at night, breaking the skulls of their victims with grinding stones, and then mopping up the mishmash of fluid and blood coming out of them, with handkerchiefs, believed to be potent for money rituals.
Those who reportedly confessed to the police were quoted to have said that a handkerchief soaked in the mishmash, “sells for half a million
naira.”
This, according to residents, thus confirms a chain of herbalists, money-ritual seekers, and criminal leg-workers in the Badoo syndicate.
POLICE HAVE COMPROMISED – RESIDENTS
The Oba-in-Council of the Owode-Ibeshe community alleged that most of the arrested suspected members of the Badoo gang by the police were innocent.
The Secretary to the monarch, Prince Sarafa Bakare, who spoke to our correspondent, said the operation, which was carried out last weekend by the police, alongside other security agencies, was not done carefully.
According to him, the security agency stormed the community and started arresting everyone seen on the street. He added that, in the process, some of the residents of the
community, who were chased up to Ebute, a seashore, were drowned while running for dear life.
“Our people died in that water that you are looking at. One boy called Junior; he came here to hustle for his life. He jumped into the water among other people who could swim. By the time others were swimming out when the police and other security agencies had
gone, he couldn’t, only for his body to be found later; stone dead. We were all sad because we all know this boy very well; he was never a Badoo cultist,” he noted.
What is on ground is that, when you rescue any Badoo member, there is an amount
for you. And because of this, when they are arrested, the police will say we shouldn’t kill
them, so they are taken to police custody and they are saved. The Police now sponsor Badoo
Bakare also alleged that the community members would have ended the reign of the cult group but for the police, especially at the Ipakodo police post, who, he claimed, were
aiding and abetting them.
He said, “We would have ended the Badoo case before it now became viral in Ikorodu if not that the police didn’t help us. On several occasions, these culprits were taken to the police station when we indigenes arrested them, but their sponsors would go through the
backdoor to discuss with the police and bail them out from the station.
“The police are not helping in this case, if I may tell you. We want the police to kill them instantly, but they don’t. These Badoo boys we are talking about, when they are
arrested, the sponsors would have promised anyone who rescues them a huge sum of money. Anyone that we catch, they are always ready to confess to us before they are taken to the police station.”
He added, “What we want is that once they are confirmed, they should be killed. We do not have traces of all those taken to the police station. Those we caught confessed
but the policemen did not bring out any information concerning them. We followed this up and what we hear is that they had been taken to Kirikiri. Write this down, the community
caught someone, he confessed, and till today, we haven’t heard anything.
“We caught the ‘boy’ at night with a bag and he confessed. Those who followed them to the station said he confessed but the police could not produce what he said. The police are not our saviour. What is on ground is that, when you rescue any Badoo member, there is an amount for you. And because of this, when they are arrested, the police will say we shouldn’t kill them, so they are taken to police custody and they are saved. The Police now sponsor Badoo.”
On the raging rumour that the Onibeshe, Oba Abayomi Ogunsanya, had fled from the palace over his alleged involvement in sponsoring the cult group, Bakare debunked the allegation, saying, “The king is not involved and it’s all propaganda. You could have met him in the palace if you had come earlier.”
Another resident, who simply identified himself as Fatai, said, “We haven’t heard anything about all the Badoo members that the police had arrested; ask anyone. The community takes the photograph of these cultists. The last incident was at Oke-ota; the culprit was bruised with machete cuts and they took his photograph. They put him on the Internet and all the social media. When the policemen came, he was taken to the hospital for care.
The policemen brought him back to Oke-Ota and he was proclaimed not guilty.
“I have the video clip of how he confessed; he told us who sent him, the name and his location, Sagamu. I’ll give you the video. Anyone we catch now in this community, we will cut him with cutlass to death; we will not call any police again,” Fatai vowed. The Olorogun of Ibeshe land, Chief Babatunde Ogunyemi, said the community had decided to embark on a traditional ritual to flush out the Badoo cultists from the community.
“The king has called on the ‘Olounba’, ‘Alawo Opa’, ‘Eleluku’, ‘Alagemo’ and ‘Oro’ native traditional groups to come out and curse those involved in these acts for three to four days,” he disclosed.
WE ARRESTED REAL BADOO MEMBERS, POLICE INSIST
In his response, however, the Lagos Police spokesman, Olarinde Famous-Cole, an Assitant Superintendent of Police, said it was untrue that the police arrested no Badoo member.
Insisting that those caught were the criminals wreaking havoc in Ikorodu communities, he said, “Those arrested had been screened, taken to court and the court has now remanded them in Kirikiri prisons.
So, if those community leaders can confirm that those we arrested are not Badoo members, definitely they know who the authentic Badoo members are. Let them come out and show us,” Famous-Cole said.
WHY BADOO KEEPS GROWING
Concerned residents, who spoke in separate interviews with our correspondent, alleged that members of the Badoo cult group were paid a huge amount of money for materials,
such as blood-stained handkerchiefs and grinding stones stained with the blood of their victims.
A community leader, who pleaded anonymity, said, “The sponsors of the evil thing are taking advantageof the youth they are using. When we did our own findings, we discovered that they were paid a huge amount of money. Somesaid N500,000, though I cannot ascertain.
According to our own findings, the handkerchiefs with bloodare used for rituals.”
Speaking on other strategies of the cult group, the community leader said, “The grinding stone they are using is also for a purpose.
The stone is not ordinary. Once it is used in the operation, then the deed is done, the victim is sacrificed already.”
He disclosed that the traditional leaders were already in secret investigations. “Traditional leaders have commenced findings traditionally. Final findings will be made known to
both the police and all, while apprehended sponsors will be made to pay severely,” he promised.
Meanwhile, one of the leading traditionalists in Ijebuland, Chief Odusanwo Adeshina, the Oluwo of Omu Ijebu, who spoke with our correspondent, said, “The objects used
by the cult gang in the operation are not used for anything good. They surely have evil herbalists behind the scene.
“The affected communities should embark on immediate propitiation to checkmate them, aside from efforts of the police and government. Traditional leaders in the community should also rise to the occasion.”
OGIJO RESIDENTS FLEE COMMUNITY
Many residents of the Ogijo community, under the Shagamu Local Council Area of Ogun State, have deserted their houses, owing to the threat of the Badoo cult group.
Our correspondent, who visited Ilara, a community in Ogijo, observed that several houses had been locked up by their owners.
One of the Community Development Association members, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said, “Despite the fact that we keep vigil
every day to protect families in our area, some of our people have left their houses to seek refuge elsewhere.
As you can see, houses are locked, but we are not ready to leave this place for them. We will stay and kill anyone arrested as Badoo before the police arrive.
“We don’t trust police judgement over this issue. Police will later release them, but when you kill them, others will run from this area.”
Another resident, who now takes cover at a friend’s house in Ketu, Lagos, Adewale Oyetola, said, “My wife and I, and two children had to vacate our house because of the Badoo gang. I cannot risk my family members’ lives. Nothing will happen to my house; when the government finds a lasting solution to the case, we will go back home. Before
we started the daily security vigil, one person was killed by these people with grinding stone, and that really taught me a lesson.”
AT BAYEKU, IGBOGBO
At the Bayeku and Igbogbo communities in Ikorodu, our correspondent gathered that the community leaders had initiated strategies to identify suspicious personalities and hand them over to the Police.
The CDA, it was also learnt, had begun a stop and search exercise, both at night and in the day. “Though we have yet to record any case, we still have to prepare.
And as a result of this, we have equipped our people, and we are ready to pay them back in their coins when they come,” one of the community leaders, Alhaji Lateef Akin, said.
It was also gathered that residents had been sensitised to sleep with weapons such as pestle and cutlass, among others, so as to retaliate any attack by the cult group.
MECHANICS ON THE RECEIVING END?
Findings by our correspondents also revealed that as a result of the recent killing of some mechanics, who were suspected to be Badoo cult members, mechanics within the affected communities in Ikorodu had reviewed their operations.
On Saturday, a comedian, Chinedu Paul, aka MC Think Twice, was reportedly burnt to death alongside two mechanics, who were said to be working on the comedian’s faulty car in the wee hours of the night. Angry residents of Odongunyan accosted the victims.
One of the mechanics at Odongunyan, who simply identified himself as Kamorudeen, said, “As you can see, we mechanics now have to be very careful. If you are too dirty with engine oil, they will lynch you, branding you a Badoo. If your car is faulty and you cannot bring it here, we will not attend to you because we don’t want to be killed. Because of this issue, we mechanics now close by 5pm.”
At Ibeshe, mechanics have also been warned not to move about with their dirty attires, especially at night, in order not to be mistaken for Badoo boys.
Those arrested had been screened, taken to court and the court has now remanded them in Kirikiri prisons. So, if those community leaders can confirm that those we arrested are notBadoo members, definitely they know who the authentic Badoo members are. Let them come out and show us
EFFECTS ON BUSINESSES
Investigations at various communities in Ikorodu similarly revealed that businesses, especially relating to landed properties, had been highly affected by the activities of the cult group.
Several residents, who cannot wait to see the end of the trend, have resorted to selling their property at rock-bottom prices.
At the Bayeku Igbogbo community, the cost of a plot of land has reduced from about N7 million, before the reign of terror, to about N1.5 million currently.
“I have houses that people want to sell. People are selling their properties and moving back to town. If you care or have any buyer, for example, I have a bungalow for sale at N6m. But it is also negotiable,” an estate agent, Mr. Johnson Akintunde, told our correspondent.
