While
speaking with newsmen in Lagos, the National coordinator of the Oodua
People's Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams, opened up on why OPC joined
forces with Police, to battle the dreaded Badoo gang in Ikorodu.
Gani Adams
A team of police operatives, members of Gani Adams-led Oodua
People’s Congress (OPC) and men of the Onyabo local vigilante stormed
communities in Ikorodu area of Lagos last week and raided dark spots in
the communities, picking suspected criminals.
At the end of the raid, which took many hours, about 138 suspects were picked up for interrogation by the team.
And with the success of the raid, many people in Ikorodu are
nursing the hope that the strange killings purportedly perpetrated by
the Badoo group in the area would soon become a thing of the past.
The joint operation was led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Edgal Imohimi.
The deadly group has in the last year been terrorising Ikorodu and
its neighbouring communities, killing over 30 persons. Residents of the
town who spoke with Daily Sun commended the police for the raid.
National coordinator of the OPC, Otunba Gani Adams, told newsmen
that police authorities in Lagos State invited the group for a joint
operation to rid Ikorodu of the violent crimes that had lately wreaked
havoc on the sprawling community.
His words: “The police invited us to a meeting to see how we
could complement their efforts in getting rid of the group. I was
invited personally, but I told them I was coming with six of our
coordinators in Ikorodu. They understand the terrain and could provide
useful information needed for the job. And the police authorities
obliged.
“It is sad that things got to this stage before we were
invited. In an ideal environment, people at the grassroots take the
centre stage in ensuring effective security of lives and property in
their communities. That is community policing at the grassroots.”
Adams explained that the meeting had started yielding positive
results with the recent raid of the area, even as he said the move by
the police should have taken place earlier than now.
He, however,applauded the police boss for the initiative and
asserted that the brief of the OPC was to assist the police in
information gathering and strategy that could lead to the arrest of the
criminals.
“Security of life and property is beyond the security agencies
alone. There should be a good relationship between residents of these
crisis-prone communities and all the security agencies, including NGOs
and other groups.
"This is very important because they all have different but
complementary roles to play in ensuring effective security in various
communities,” he said.
Adams noted that the raid was successful, with investigations still
in progress; moreover, some of those that were arrested have been
released based on police findings after interrogation.
He also spoke on the barbaric killings of innocent families by
members of the Badoo cult, who he said were obviously killing their
victims for rituals.
Adams said: “From our findings, there are reports that the
Badoo group have been terrorising Ikorodu and its environs for the past
two years. They have been killing people for rituals and some prominent
Nigerians are allegedly behind this criminal act. From our findings, the
Badoo boys don’t use guns or machetes.
"They use big grinding stones or pestles to kill their victims
in the wee hours of the night. So it is sad, but now the police are
investigating and we are supporting them with information and strategies
to ensure that Ikorodu remains safe for residents.”
Beyond the Badoo group, Adams said the OPC was also collaborating
with the police to rid Ikorodu of other criminals. In his opinion,
Ikorodu had for along remained a haven for a number of criminals,
including kidnappers, oil thieves, cultists and perpetrators of sundry
other vices.
“Ikorodu has gradually become a safe hideaway for criminals. Of
all the cultists in Lagos State, Ikorodu alone has about 30 per cent.
That is bad.
"Unfortunately, secret cults have shifted their base from the
universities to our homes. Artisans, like vulcanisers, mechanics and
others are now members of dreaded secret cults.
"Young boys in their teens are being initiated into cults and
that is bad and it is a very dangerous signal and threat to the security
of life and property in our society.
"All these cultists are being recruited by prominent people in
the society, especially politicians and leaders, who use them to
perpetrate evil in the society.
“In this vein, we must do something to stop this trend, because
it is going out of proportion. The public transporters, including their
unions and associations, have to be checkmated.”
Some people have accused the OPC of having cultists and thugs as members, but Adams vehemently denied such accusations.
He said, “For us in the OPC, under my leadership, it is a new
dawn. We have got rid of all those with criminal tendencies in our group
and we have a brand new OPC with educated members across board. So, as
far as I am concerned, different leaders should train and retrain their
followers.
"Insecurity in our society has huge implication for us as a
country, especially in the area of tourism. It affects us badly because
no tourists will come to an insecure and volatile country.
“The situation in Ikorodu at the moment will affect us
definitely because it is sending a wrong signal to the entire world. All
these killings are reflected in our newspapers, which are read
globally. And, mind you, anything that affects Lagos, as the commercial
nerve of the country, affects the entire country.
"The federal government should join hands with the Lagos State
government and other security outfits to stop this senseless killings by
the Badoo gang.”
Adams restated the commitment of his group to ensuring effective
security of lives and property in the country, particularly in areas
like Ikorodu.
He also noted that the case of the Badoo cult was spiritual and should be treated as such.
The OPC leader had a word for members of the killer gang: they
either desist from their criminal activities or face the wrath of the
law. He also appealed to residents of Ikorodu to stop taking the law
into their hands by mobbing and lynching suspected Badoo members. Some
of those lynched have been discovered to be innocent members of the
public.
“I urge residents of Ikorodu never to take the law into their
hands. In a civilised country, whenever a suspect is apprehended over a
criminal act, he or she is handed over to the police for investigation.
Lynching or killing a suspected criminal is outdated and we shouldn’t
encourage jungle justice in our society.
"A situation whereby innocent citizens are killed over
trumped-up allegations is absolutely bad and unlawful, therefore, we
should be mindful of how we react to situations like this,” he counselled.
He advised residents to come out with vital information that could help the police in their investigations.
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