Cult group force residents to abandon homes in Ikorodu

ayodele johnson

July 8, 2017 6:54 PM

Ikorodu residents who chose to remain in their homes have formed small units patrol teams to protect themselves.

Lagos Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni

Some residents of Ikorodu, Lagos State, have been forced to desert their homes due to fear of being killed by the Badoo cult group.

Series of murders perpetrated by the cultists have left a lot of people feeling scared as there is no telling who might be struck next.

Even little kids are not an exception for a cult group that has ravaged the whole of Ikorodu community for months.

According to Punch News, many people have temporarily left their homes for a safer living space in other parts of Lagos.

Yemisi, one of such people told the newspaper company that she does not intend to risk the safety of her children following the cult group's warning of an imminent visit.

“For the past five days, we have not slept at night at Ori-Okuta because of the fear of Badoo.

"They wrote a letter and pasted the copies at strategic places in the neighbourhood, informing us of their imminent visit.

"Nobody has had peace since then.

“My husband is not in Lagos for now, so I cannot afford to take chances with the safety of my children and I," she said.

ALSO READ: Ikorodu residents speak to Pulse on their daily nightmare

Those who have opted to remain in their communities despite the notification given by the group have reportedly organized themselves into patrol teams for protection.

This is according to Alhaji Kazeem Lawal, a community leader who spoke to Punch in an interview.

“Since the police have failed in tackling Badoo, we have to take charge of our security.

"It is true that many residents have fled their houses because they don’t want to die and nobody blames them; those of us who are still here cannot just fold our hands and say nothing will happen.

“We have formed ourselves into several groups, patrolling the entire neighbourhood at night.

"If you come to Ori-Okuta at night, you’ll think it is day time because the number of residents you would see outside will surprise you. We put our hope in God,” the community leader disclosed.

Punch News also reported that the Lagos State Police "have met with traditional rulers, herbalists, community leaders and other stakeholders in Ikorodu to discuss the security situation."

This convergence, which ended at midnight on Friday, July 7, 2017, was aimed at designing strategies to curb the Badoo menace.

ayodele johnson