Cultists Spreading Terror

Editorial

The last few months have been a harrowing experience for Lagosians as hoodlums, social miscreants and so-called cultists have engaged in bloody battles for supremacy in some neighbourhoods in the state, while the police have been unable to abate the situation save for arresting a few so-called cultists and many innocent young men.

From Lagos Island to Shitta and Akerele in Surulere, the game is the same. Worse hit are residents of Jibowu, Onipanu, Fadeyi, Palmgrove, Bariga, Akala, Iwaya, Mushin, Ilupeju and Ikorodu, among others. These battles for turf and sometimes for nothing discernible, had hitherto been between motor park touts and never-do-wells in the neighbourhood, but these days one wonders what the likes of artisans, jobless young men and other undesirables want to engage in these senseless clashes.

These are no ordinary battles as guns and other dangerous weapons are usually used by these young men who some residents claim were at one time employed by politicians to fight their battles during elections. Now that the elections are over, the boys have not returned the weapons allegedly given to them by the politicians; instead, they have turned on themselves and other residents, engaging in turf wars during which many have lost their lives while innocent Lagosians have also become casualties.

Recently in Iwaya area of Yaba, rival cult groups clashed over a woman said to be dating two men that belonged to two rival groups. In the pandemonium that ensued, people scampered for safety while the hoodlums vandalised over 15 vehicles. We wonder what the parked vehicles have to do with the clashes involving these social miscreants.

Even students of secondary schools have become a part of the group of criminally-minded individuals who have made the streets unsafe for innocent residents. Different groups have been known to attack each other and in some cases, other people who happen to cross the path of members of their groups. The fear of these boys is the beginning of wisdom for they attack at the least provocation, anywhere and at any time.

A few days ago, youths from Oworonsoki stormed neighbouring Ifako Gbagada on a reprisal attack, hacking down one of their victims with machetes and damaging over 20 vehicles parked by the roadside before escaping to their base.

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The residents had sent out a distress call to the police but they did not arrive until after the attack. One of the suspects was arrested but it often happens, the suspect would be released after his godfathers intervene. Very few of these ever get to court and the police always cite one reason or the other for not taking such cases before the law courts.

Business activities have been disrupted while those who can afford it are moving out of the affected neighbourhoods. Some landlords who have tried to wade into the problem and discovered it is intractable, have been forced to sell their properties and move out of the affected areas.

Lives have been lost and properties worth millions of naira vandalised or even destroyed, yet the law enforcement agencies seem unable to stem this tide of violence. People no longer feel safe even in their homes. This development does not augur well for a state that is trying to attract foreign investors.

We believe that if security agencies muster the necessary will, they should be able to stop these bloody skirmishes among cult groups in the state.

Proper intelligence gathering would go a long way in nipping in the bud any planned attack by miscreants masquerading as cult groups across the city.

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