Kunle ADELABU
Residents of Odogunyan in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Ikorodu Division area of Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, have lamented the state of insecurity in the area.
They called on the government and elected representatives in Ikorodu to intervene and help in addressing the matter.
The community,which host the largest industrial estate in West African, has recently been experiencing frequent violence, mostly occasioned by rivalry among cult groups and the situation is gradually turning the area into a den of cultists and other criminals.
A resident, Mr Rotimi Balogun, for aspirant for the Lagos State House of Assembly, lamented the insecurity situation while commenting on the issue on THE IMPACT WhatssApp platform recently and called for the urgent attention of the government.
“Please, note that the level of insecurity in and around Odogunyan axis in Ikorodu is alarming. For over 4 to 5 months now, a group of gunmen have been terrorizing the law abiding residents of this area with no checks on their activities.
“It’s so sad, I wish the Lagos government and our representatives can effectively address this insecurity. Presently, I just heard about four gun shots at our industrial layout area and people are running up and down. I pray that no life is lost as a result of this. May the Lord help us all”, Mr Balogun lamented.
In an online chat with our reporter following his submission on the insecurity situation, Mr Balogun added that a young man of 28 years was shot dead in the shooting incident he reported on the platform.
“After the attack, a young man of 28 yrs of age was shot dead at Agodo Industrial layout and I called the DPO who sent their patrol team to recover the body.
“This incident has been going on for over six months now. We need to do something urgently. We all can’t keep quiet and pretend that nothing is happening.
Also speaking on the matter, Mr Eromona Uyotaoghene, said that people have been living in fear in that area.
“Odogunyan is always like that. I don’t know why? Why should people be living an insecure life because some people spend the whole day drinking ogogoro in one corner and get up to start fighting themselves and terrorizing innocent residents in the process ?”, he queried.
“Why should such people be made to feel like they control the affairs of their communities just because, in one way or the other, they have access to guns? It is sickening and sad”, he lamented.
Hon. Mathew Adesanya, the head of Yago, the local security outfit combating insecurity in Odogunyan, while fielding questions from THE IMPACT, called on the residents of the community to stand up against any form of criminality while also calling for stiffer penalties for criminals.
“Ridding Odogunyan of insecurity is more in the hand of the community and security agencies. The Nigerian law does not provide for stiff punishment for offenders because if not , why is it that gun possession by cult boys is a bailable offence and killing of innocent persons by these hoodlums amounts to a few years imprisonment.
“Our criminal aspect of the law needs total overhauling and people should be courageous enough to cooperate with the security agencies and supply them with necessary information.
“Also, individual family should be alive to its responsibilities of being a watch dog in the society”.
And while urging the press to stop celebrating unpopular cases, Hon. Adesanya also warned Human Rights Organisations to be mindful of there involvement in criminal cases.
