Killing of land speculators in Ikorodu: Residents flee community over fear of reprisal attack

Tension as the people of Adamo, Ikorodu area of Lagos, over
 fear of an imminent attack by cultists, in an apparent move
 to avenge the killing of four land speculators last week.

False alarm was raised last Friday that the deceased
 were members of the dreaded badoo cult group, alleged
 to be responsible for several ritual killings in Ikorodu. 
Without verifying the authenticity of the claim, an angry mob
descended on the men and lynched them before the arrival of
security agents .

However, after the dust settled, investigation by the
 Lagos State Police command showed that the deceased 
were land speculators after all.

News of a reprisal attack as gathered, filtered into the
community, which saw frightened residents fleeing their
abodes.

As at yesterday 10 communities under Adamo , were 
deserted.They included : Aroma, Okegbodo, Mojoda, Eyin-ogbe, Ipinyewa and Olorunda among others.

Some houses and vehicles have been set ablaze in protest 
of the killing of the land speculators.

A resident , Gbadebo Ojo who spoke with ERICGOSSIP said : 
“We were told that out community would be invaded at 
night while everyone will be sleeping. If this happens, several innocent persons will be affected.

I was not at home when the men were lynched . I only 
heard of the incident when I returned from my business place.

Why would I be made a sacrifice for the sins of others?

Those who were captured in the video of the mob attack
 have since left the community . Already, my brother’s house has been set ablaze. The perpetrators claimed that some of those who lynched their people lived in the building. That was the only source of my brother’s livelihood”.

On her part, Mrs Ihejirika , a widow said : “First , it 
was the ceaseless attacks by badoo boys. Now this. I have already relocated from the area with my four children . 
We are presently squatting with a relative until we find a one room apartment . I only came to pack our remaining belongings”.

Another resident who spoke on the condition of 
anonymity explained what transpired last Friday. He said : “The four men that were killed were armed with dangerous weapons. They went to a building under construction to demand for money whereas the owner had earlier settled one of them . But they came to demand for additional N30,000 and before we knew it, they started attacking people with cutlasses. That was when residents raised the alarm that Badoo boys were around. They were tortured for several hours before they died.

Their members later stormed Araro community, where 
the men were killed and set houses, cars and motorcycles ablaze”.

Others called on the state government to establish 
a police station in the community with a view to checkmating excesses of cultists as well as addressing prompt response to distress calls , arguing that had the police arrived on time, the victims would have been spared from being lynched .

As at yesterday, Police patrol vans were strategically 
stationed in the area to arrest any likely attack.

An aggrieved Commissioner of Police , Lagos State 
Police Command, Mr Fatai Owoseni had weekend frowned
 at the jungle justice meted on the victims, assuring that the Police would arrest those involved.