- Traditional ruler opposes clamour for jungle justice
By MATTHEW DIKE
The Ayetoro community in Ajegunle, Lagos State, has imposed a restrictive ban on parties and social ceremonies in the area because of the incessant menace of suspected armed robbers, murderers, cultists, rapists, and other criminals unleashing mayhem on innocent people within the area.
The Baale (traditional ruler) of the community, Chief Saheed Fakunle, has, however, said that he would not be a party to any plan to mete out jungle justice to suspected criminals.
Fakunle has insisted that the rule of law must prevail in his domain.
The community has witnessed the killing of over 20 innocent persons during armed robbery operations and inter-cult clashes in the past six months.
The armed robbers, who in some cases double as cultists, also raped some women to death, including a 78 -year- old woman, a pregnant woman, a minor and another woman, who just delivered a baby the previous day and was gang -raped to death by six youths.
The 78-year -old woman was also gang raped by about six youths. The aged woman couldn’t endure the rigour and she gave up the ghost.
Some of the female rape survivors also joined no fewer than 300 other women to protest their pathetic predicaments in the hands of the marauding armed hoodlums who killed, raped, maimed and robbed the members of the community.
To reduce crime in the community to its barest minimum, the Baale (traditional ruler) of Aiyetoro, Ajegunle, Chief Saheed Fakunle, the members of the Community Development Association, Landlords/Tenants Association, the Councilor in charge of Ward ‘B’, (a part of the community) in Ajeromi/ Ifelodun Local Government, Hon. Kehinde Arogundade, and other stakeholders brainstormed and came out with the resolution that henceforth, before anybody would be allowed to organise a party or celebration within the thirteen (13) most affected streets listed in the area, they must first seek the permission of the traditional ruler.
Chief Fakunle said that profiling the organiser of every event and their Disc Jockeys or Masters of Ceremony would be necessary to ascertain who to hold responsible in case of any crime during such an event.
Fakunle told our correspondent that he would not buy the idea of jungle justice against any criminal suspect, but would rather allow the law to take its course.
The resolution also warned DJs and MCs to confirm the legality of a party or celebration before moving their music equipment to the event’s place or risk the confiscation of their equipment by the community.
On the public notice pasted on the walls at strategic corners of the most affected streets, which read in part, “Prior to the level of unrest experienced in Aiyetoro Community and its environs, a holistic measure that prompted the restriction on ‘a day time’ gathering on thirteen streets in the Aiyetoro community is hereby introduced till further notice. Giving the reason behind this action, it is imminent and inevitable to curb this menace and ensure that sanity is brought back to those affected vicinity in due course.
“It was investigated that these hoodlums now contribute money to hire the services of DJs / MCs in order to organise a get –together, where they invite groups of hoodlums from far away to come and celebrate with them and at the end of the day – after the party is put to an end, the hoodlums walk together (in large numbers) and start snatching people’s belongings, thereby staging a fight against themselves as a way to threaten respective neighbours and (creating opportunity to) broke into people’s shops and buildings to snatch their belongings from them.”
The resolution also stipulated in part, “We restrict any DJ/MC that will be called upon to render his/her service to desist from this restricted areas till further notice. Failure to comply with this restriction order will or may lead to seizure and forfeiture of the DJ’s equipment. Be warned! Whoever wants to carry out a public function, henceforth, without prompt approval from Baale of Aiyetoro with an undertaking statement, should not be entertained by any DJ/MC’S association and the local government for ‘Road permit ‘ as we understand that some of us with genuine purpose will also be affected, at large, by this restriction . Be
warned!”
Meanwhile, mixed feelings have trailed the restrictive ban on ceremonies in the community. While some people embraced the new arrangement, others believed it would just be a cheap and easy way for the traditional ruler to make money for himself. Some others believe that the action has political
undertones.
