Badoo kills Lagos couple, two kids in fresh attack
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 neighbor opposite our house. The neighbor’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.”
READ
ALSO: Addressing Ikorodu serial barbaric killings
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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