The dreaded cult group, Badoo, on Tuesday May 2, 2017, again killed four members of a family including a mother, who later died in the hospital in the early hours of the following day and seriously injured two other members at Layeode-Lafose town in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
According to the report gathered, the sad incident happened when the assailants forced their way into the family’s apartment through a window without burglary proof after cutting the net. They brutally attacked Taofeek Agbaje, a 40 year old painter, his wife, Simiat, a 33 years old petty trader, and their four children, Moridiyah, 12 years old; Roadiat, 9 years old, Toibat, 5 years old and Fadilat, a year and half in the early hours of that fateful day.
While Simiat and two of her children were said to have survived the deadly attack (she later died in the hospital), with life threatening injuries, her husband and two other children (Rodiat and Toibat) were not as lucky as they were savagely murdered by their assailants.
When Oriwu Sun inspected the bungalow apartment of the victims, the remains of Taofeek and Toibat were seen lying lifelessly on the floor in the bedroom while the body of Rodiat was found in the toilet lying on a wrapper, with blood still coming out of her private parts, which indicated that she was defiled before being strangled to death.
It was also gathered that the assailants had brought a big stone, with which they attacked the family, particularly the wife, whose head was said to have been battered and was taken to an undisclosed hospital with her other surviving children for treatment.
Most of the sympathisers, who besieged the victims’ residence, ruled out the possibility that the attack was carried out by armed robbers since nothing was taken away from the apartment. They believe that it was carried out by members of the Badoo group.
While interviewing a neighbor, Mrs. Rodiat Rahman, who was the first person to discover the attack, she explained that she had visited the Agbaje’s apartment around 7:00am to collect lime water to treat her child, who was vomiting, when she discovered that the door to their main entrance was open.
According to her, when she entered the sitting room, she met Moridiyah, who had been brutalized by the assailants sitting down in pains. When she asked her why she was not preparing for school, she pointed in the direction of the bedroom where other family members were. When she discovered what had happened, she quickly called the attention of other neighbours, who joined her to make arrangement to take them to the hospital.
Mrs. Rahman also disclosed that when the rescue team conducted further search on the apartment, they found the bodies of other three members of the family in the bedroom and toilet with their necks turned sideways.
Another neighbor, who pleaded anonymity also told Oriwu Sun that a neighbor, who lives beside the victims, had told him that she had heard a faint noise from their apartment in the midnight but could not ascertain the cause of the noise due to the noisy sound of the generator in her house.
A friend of Late Taofeek, Mr. Jelili Ajibola, described him and his wife, both of whom were indigenes of Iwo town in Osun State, as gentle and easy-going devout muslims, who were very much loved by their family members, friends and neighbours.
He said that lack of security arrangement in the area led to the success of the assailants’ operation. Mr. Ajibola disclosed that plans were on to provide twenty four hour security in the area to forestall further attacks.
In his view also, lack of stable power supply in the area aided the heinous attack because many people had their generators working, which made it impossible to hear someone shouting. He also decried the lack of government presence in Layeode-Lafose community in the area of provision of security, stable power supply and good roads while appealing for urgent intervention.
The Baale of Layeode-Lafose town, Chief Enny Osinukan, described the incident as unfortunate. He said when he heard about the incident, he invited the police, who visited the scene and promised to conduct proper investigation to bring the perpetrators to book.
Chief Osinukan promised that the Community Development Association (CDA) and other stakeholders would soon come up with concrete plan to secure the community. He blamed the insecurity in the community on the police patrol team, who he and some stakeholders approached for constant patrol to no avail.
The Baale appealed to the state government and the police to help in protecting the residents from Badoo and other criminal. Also, Chief Ibikunle Sakioye, Baale of Lejina town in Ikorodu North LCDA, assured that those involved in all the criminal acts would soon be brought to justice.
He commended Oba Kabir Adewale Shotobi, the Ayangbure of Ikorodu, for constantly urging the Baales to ensure the security of lives and property in their respective communities. Chief Sakioye said that Shotobi had already warned that any Baale linked to Badoo or any other criminal group would be deposed and prosecuted accordingly.
Oriwu Sun learnt that the wife of the painter, who later died in the hospital on Wednesday May 3, 2017, was buried along with him and their two children the same day on their land located in Igbe area of Ikorodu.