On Tuesday afternoon, just after lunch time, Nigerians were hit with the news of ritual killers caught and burnt in Lagos. Many others were said to have escaped while policemen carted away with two of the suspects.

Though incidences of ritual killings are becoming common place, this case in particular sent shock waves. The perpetrators were not caught in bushes or outskirts of town, they were right there in the middle of Lagos metropolis. They had repurposed the drainage system and turned it into an hideout where they carry out their nefarious activities.

Eye witnesses at Obadeyi bus-stop, Ijaiye, along Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, say that rescuers stormed the drainage system when they heard the cry of help! by a woman coming from the drainage. Till now, no woman has been rescued from the place and police say the case is still under investigation.

While Nigerians are still pondering about their safety, just two days later, a similar incident happened again. Another suspect was caught by a mob again in Lagos, this time, at Ile Zik part of Lagos. Body parts were said to have been recovered from the scene. The suspect was also found in a drainage hole.

But that case was not over yet. Yesterday morning, two suspected members of the alleged gang that got away on Thursday were set ablaze by yet another mob. Even police presence did not deter the mob from setting the suspects on fire as they hurled stones and sticks at the police officers who tried to stop them from carrying out the act of junglejustice.

In a swift response, the Lagos State Police Command on Friday, warned residents to desist from engaging in such act, as it not only violates the laws of the land but also dents the image of the State.

The State’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni who gave the warning in a statement, said that as much as there was no legal justification for jungle justice, in most cases, vital evidences that could aid the Police in the course of investigation are destroyed.

“There is no justification for jungle justice on suspected persons. It is barbaric and uncivilized. It is a manifestation of the erosion of our moral values and a disregard to sanctity of human lives. It violates the rule of law and dents the image of the State. Above all, it is a violation of the law, and all those arrested in connection with the aforementioned cases will be made to face the full wrath of the law,” Owoseni said.

As if that was not enough, again yesterday, another suspected cultist was beaten to death at the …

Badoo

These uncontrolled spread in ritual killings is becoming alarming and is causing panic. All these is going on while the Baddo cult are still on the rampage.

Since the menace of the Badoo cult started in Ikorodu, it has been a sad tales of one killing after the other.

Many would remember how three people were left dead after suspected members of the Badoo cult struck in four buildings numbering 9, 10, 11 and 12, all on Aliyu Adesanya Street, Olopomeji Bus Stop, Odogunyan, Ikorodu, Lagos State.

As if that was not bad enough, On Sunday, July 30, the Badoo cult attacked a family of four at Ibeshe, Ikorodu. While three of the victims died on the spot, the fourth died in the hospital while receiving treatment. According to the Police, the attack was possible because the house the family lived in was isolated.

Another incident took place at Hassan Abiodun Street, off Ojodu Berger, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State where a pregnant lady and her fiancée were killed. A certain Emmanuel Obazuaye suspected to be a member of the Badoo cult was also arrested in Ikorodu with a human head.

One of the most recent attacks by Badoo cult members remains that which took place at a Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Okin Parish, Igbo Agbowa, Ibeshe, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State. During the attack, a woman was seriously injured, as three Badoo cult members pretended to be attending the church’s vigil before they attacked their victim. It was while trying to make their getaway that one of them was apprehended.

The several cases of Badoo cult killings in Ikorodu eventually led investigations that uncovered shrines used by Badoo cult members and even high placed members of the cult including Alhaji Alaka Aboyomi.

Ozubulu

But these killings are not motivated by rituals only. Just last Sunday, the whole country was put into mourning as over12 people were reportedly killed at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Ozubuku, Anambra State. Gunmen had besieged the church and opened fire on the worshipers.

One of the survivors of the onslaught, Frank, recounts his experience; “We were in the middle of the service when I noticed that a black jeep was parked outside. The car later moved from the spot and turned back a few minutes later and parked at the same spot. A young man came into the church through the back door of the church and started shooting, while backing the alter. Many people tried to escape through the two doors and to our surprise, the gunman started shooting at them on both doors. It was a terrible thing.”

The motive for the senseless killings which also left many injured is yet unknown and there have been many theories as to why masked men could ‘desecrate’ the house of God. Some say that it is drug deal that went wrong, while there are stories about rivalry between two rich men.

However, a community leader of Ozubulu, Igwe Nnamdi Oruche, says the problem in his domain started about 10 years ago when Ozubulu Development Union, ODU, which has a branch in South Africa, wanted to elect a new president-general there.

“This created a major disagreement over who would be their leader in that country and it eventually tore them apart. But the overall President General both in Ozubulu and in Diaspora, Norbert Anigbogu, intervened by inviting the two factions back home for a peaceful resolution of the problem. A Catholic priest, Rev. Father Chidolue was invited to perform the Christian aspect of oath-taking, which was done and everyone appreciated it.

“But later, the conflict was rekindled by some of them who reneged on the agreement made during the oath-taking, alleging that since I, the traditional ruler, was not present during the exercise, the reconciliation was null, void and improper,” Oruche says.

The royal father however refused to name the perpetrators despite confirming his knowledge of their identity.

However, the names that keeps recurring are that of one Chief Aloysius Ikegwuonu popularly known as Bishop and one other simply known as Obrocho. It was alleged that Obrocho was the one who ordered a ‘hit’ on Bishop who was meant to be in church that morning but was not. Obrocho is said to reside in South Africa while Ikegwuonu has allegedly gone into hiding.

Kidnappings

The memories of how six students of Model College Igbonla, Epe, Lagos State namely Pelumi Philips, Farouq Yusuf, Isiaq Rahmon, Adebayo George, Judah Agbausi and Peter Jonah were kidnapped on Thursday, May 25, and subsequently released in Aboto creek, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State on Friday, July 28, is still fresh in the minds of a lot of people.

Prior to their release, parents of the children had stormed the Lagos State Secretariat Alausa, as they appealed on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to help ensure the safe return of their children.

Shockingly, individuals are also taking advantage of the kidnapping situation in Lagos. Though unreal, Chief Yusuf Ogundare, the Baale of Shangisha in Omole, orchestrated his fake abduction along Center for Management Development (CMD) Road in Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area (LCDA) on July 5. His experience was a sad one, as he was later arrested by the Police having supposedly regained his freedom.

The Policemen who arrested him said he was picked up due to the manner with which he was dropped from a Taxi cab on the day of his release. However, his case remains an isolated case.

The most memorable arrest in Lagos State involving a suspected kidnapper remains that of Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike popular as Evans.

He was arrested in his mansion in Magodo estate in Lagos State after a gun battle that lasted several hours by the police Joint Special Forces led by the Intelligence Response Team, the Lagos State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit and Technical and Intelligent Unit of the Force under the supervision of the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State.

Evans, prior to his arrest was notorious for many other hideous crimes including armed robbery.

Recently, a suspected female kidnapper was caught in Osun State. This comes less than two weeks after another female kidnapper was stripped and paraded in the state. The woman pretending to be mad was arrested around Oriolori area of Ikire. She met her waterloo having been spotted having a phone conversation using a low tone. Passengers trying to board a bus wondered how a supposed mad woman could manage such a conversation on a mobile phone. She was purportedly heard saying that ‘The little girl is still with her mother, I am watching.”

Clerics Speak

Reverend Father Charles Soyombo, Director Of Social Communications, Abeokuta diocese

says the menace of incessant ritual killings can be explained in two ways. “First, people have lost the sense of what is sacred. The sacredness of God and human life is lost to man. people no longer fear God and now have little or no respect for human life. That is why people can walk right into a church and kill people. It is because they no longer have fear for God’s wrath. Can such people walk into a shrine and kill people? Human life has no meaning anymore. people have made themselves little gods and this is why they determine who lives and who dies,” Soyombo says.

The secondly reason he gave is money. “The love of money is on another level. Those who have money are given more respect. Success is measured by how much wealth a person has. People are given awards not because they worked hard for it but because they are wealthy. If you have money, you become a political godfather. If you have money, you receive chieftaincy title. money calls the shots. money gets justice.”

“As Christians and as human beings who respect life, we should go back to where we missed it. we should go back to God. we should trace our footsteps back to God. he is our only salvation,” Soyombo concludes.

Another Christian cleric of Faith Aglow Tabernacle, Henry Smith describes the spate of killings and kidnaps as signs of end times. “It is all in the Bible. This is no hearsay. When the end time is near, you see people killing each other for no reason. Have there been anytime where we had this much killings? Does that not tell you something?” he says.

Rasheed Abubakar, a muslim scholar says about the killings and kidnaps; “From an Islamic point of view, it is an indication that Muslims and non-Muslims have deviated from the true guidelines of Allah. There are guidelines laid down by Allah for mankind to live in within a peaceful world.

When people begin to kill in any society, all in the name of spiritual assistance, or using parts of human bodies for money rituals in any society, what they can expect are tribulations. So many negative things would happen.

That is why there are several verses in the Quran like Quran chapter 20 verse 120 to 124 says that -‘And whosoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind.’

“The part of the Quran that talks about the end time is the shortest verse and tells us that in the end time, men will be involved in so many atrocities. When you see them doing these things, you will know that the end time has come.”

As all these are going on, the Police has assured Nigerians that they will get to the bottom of these crimes as they are working hard to put suspects behind bars. The Police Commissioner of Lagos State however urges residents to report any suspicious happening in their areas to the Police and other security agencies, assuring that the Police and other security agencies would respond promptly to such reports.

He also assured the general public of the renewed synergy amongst the institutions saddled with criminal justice administration towards ensuring quick dispensation of justice.

“The general public is therefore, strongly advised to desist from this unlawful and barbaric act. No effort will be spared in ensuring that lawful means are used to bring to justice, anyone who violates the law, please,” he said.