Kunle Adelabu
The Chief Imam of Ikorodu Division, Alhaji Aliu Seifudeen Ayinla Adeboritan Olowo-Oribi, has called on the government to name any traditional ruler culpable for sponsoring, harboring and arming cultists in Ikorodu Division to serve as deterrent to others.
Alhaji Olowo-Oribi made this request in an interview with THE IMPACT on Friday at his Adaraloye home in Ikorodu Local Government in Ikorodu Division, Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria.
Reacting to the news report (Lagos Commissioner of Police’s interview with a leading community news medium) that a particular traditional ruler has been fingered to be responsible for indulging and sponsoring some of these cultists and whom the police authority has warned, Imam Olowo-Oribi stated that such monarch should be exposed if he does not desist from such act.
“If it is true that law enforcement agencies know such traditional ruler, he must be exposed. I can recall that we were told by the police sometime ago during a meeting with Obas and other stakeholders on peace and security that some Baales and others usually come to them that they should release some of these boys whenever they are apprehended”, Alhaji Olowo-Oribi stated.
“At that meeting, which was presided over by the former Ayangbure of Ikorodu, we resolved that such chiefs and others that intervene to get such suspects released should also be arrested and detained.
“If truly an Oba is engaging in the act of using and arming some of these cult guys, such traditional ruler must be exposed for all to see his involvement if he fails to heed warning. That would help in reducing the menace of cultism “.
He alleged that those that came to reside in Ikorodu are the ones perpetrating cultism and initiating indigenes into the cult groups.
“Some of the residents that came to Ikorodu to reside are the ones initiating our sons into the cult groups and we are not happy about it. It is not a good thing seeing our youths dying.
“Government should intervene and help in finding lasting solution because it is now beyond the residents”.
The revered Muslim leader also called for more prayers in tackling the menace of cultism which, according to him, has been destabilising the social and economic lives of the people in the division.
“We need to be more prayerful against the menace of cultism considering its effects on our society.
“It is a bad thing for any society to be recording incessant death of youths. It is not right for youths to be killed. Most unfortunate is the fact that the youths are the ones killing themselves”.
Alhaji Olowo-Oribi also stated that a community without youths has no future.
“There is no future for any society without youths because youths are the ones that supposed to develop every society.
‘War can easily ravage such society because old people cannot fight war or have capacity to bring prosperity to such society”, he stated.
“It’s very unfortunate that youths that are supposed to defend Ikorodu and be it’s future are the ones turning against themselves. We have to call on God to intervene.
“We have tried to know what exactly they are fighting for but we cannot point anything. We cannot even see any gain they are benefiting from the killings.
“Cultism have turned our youths into idle hands, thieves and murderers looking for guns to kill one another.
“Majority of them don’t go to work again because they are benefiting from the chaos”.
The Chief Imam, while stating that the community has done all that he could in solving the problem, added that it is only the government that they can find lasting solutions to the menace.
“As a community, I think that we have done all that are expected of us. We have called them and preached to them to handover arms with them and desist from their evil ways. We gathered at the Oba’s palace, yet, they went back to their evil ways”.
He stated that the problem was caused by lack of home training and unemployment.
“I think their problem is lack of meaningful engagements. They have no work because anyone who have work to do and other positive engagements would not have time for such deadly activities.
“They have been deeply involved in cultism and it has become part of them. You cannot ask them to start looking for work because they won’t do it. All that we have to do is to beg God to change their ways.
“We also appeal to all our politicians that are using these boys to perpetrate evils during elections to desist from doing so.
“More so, my advice to residents is that they should endeavor to train their children and wards properly and in God’s way. Most of the problems confronting us are due to lack of fear of God. Any young man that is properly brought up would know his responsibilities to his parents, families, community and government and even himself”, he stated.
