Residents of a community in Ikorodu, Lagos on Friday lynched a suspected member of the dreaded Badoo cult accused of the gruesome murder of some families in the town.
Head security, Igbo-Oluwo Estate, Adewale Adejumo, said that the suspect was arrested at Unity Close inside the estate around 6:30 am with black oil all over his body and stone on his hand.
Several other gang members, who were seen together, however, ran away.
According to Mr Adejumo, the suspect was to be handed over to a nearby police station, but angry residents set him on fire.
“We saw them very early in the morning moving around the estate naked with black oil all over their bodies.
“On seeing us, they started running and we chased them and caught one of them with oil on his body and stone in his hand. We kept him till morning to hand him over to the police.
“When the residents saw him, they were angry and forcefully took him from us, put tyre on him and set him on fire,” Adejumo said.
A senior officer with Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Ikorodu West, Sanni Ibrahim, said that they received a distress call that some Badoo cult members were in operation in Igbo-Oluwo Estate.
Sanni said that he mobilised some of his members and they moved into the estate around 7:00 am to forestall break down of law and order and curtail the activities of the gang.
Spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Olarinde Famous-Cole, confirmed the incident, explaining that the command was investigating the circumstances, which led to the lynching.
“Despite our appeals, residents still took the laws into their hands today at Ikorodu.
“Unfortunately, the more such things happen, the more we would not be able to get to the root of the matter.
“If they handed him over to the police, we would have been able to question him. In any case, we are still investigating the incident,” Famous-Cole said.
