The Akoka Joint Action Committee, the umbrella body of six associations in Lagos State, has sent a strongly worded petition to the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, over the ceaseless destruction of properties and vandalisation of vehicles by cultists.
The last of such cult activities in the area was the destruction of over 100 vehicles by a group of hoodlums on a reprisal sequel to the killing of one of their members by a rival cult group.
The cult group was allegedly in the convoy of the Chairman of Somolu Local Government Area of Lagos State, Gbolahan Bago-Stowe, on March 28, 2013.
In the petition, the group stated: “The remote causes of these violent acts according to sources in the community can be related with the visitation of carnival group from Somolu Community of the Local Government Area in whose vanguard was the the Executive Chairman of the Local Government.
“On the 28th of March, 2013, the carnival from Somolu Community arrived into Akoka community through the Bajulaiye axis and on reaching Kajero Street, a fight ensued between two rival groups in which a man from the Somolu group was matcheted and later died according to the information received later.
“On Sunday the 7th April 2013, the supposed sympathisers of the dead man forcefully carried out a candlelight procession into Akoka Community.
“Instead of carrying out a peaceful procession of their candle light, they turned it into an orgy of violence.”
The group said it has never witnessed such orgy of violence since the one that happened in May 2012 in which 37 vehicles were vandalised and a life lost.
The group has therefore urged the governor to save them from these frequent attacks and the need to check the activities of the cult groups.
Meanwhile, a meeting was held at the Somolu Local Government Area Secretariat over the weekend.
The meeting was called at the instance Bago-Stowe to find solutions to the frequent security challenges in the community, especially the cult related attacks, which have been recurring in the community.
The meeting had in attendence the Divisional Police Officers of Alade, C.M.S. and Pedro.
Some members of the Community Development Association and selected members of the community.
The chairman denied allegations that he condones the activities of cultists in the community.
The cult is allegedly led by the younger brother to the Chief Security Officer of the local government, Wale Oseni.
Bago-Stowe said: “The police told me that my CSO has brothers that were involved in the violence and I have told them to go ahead and do their job.
“The police believe that he (Oseni) knows where they are and they have told him to come with them to the station.”
The meeting resolved to improve cooperation on security matters and information sharing.
Bago-Stowe said: “We will meet like this every month until these hoodlums are flushed out completely.
“These meetings will give us the opportunity to share information and strategise.
“By coming here, we have proved that we are not happy with the situation and we are not ready to tolerate it.”
The forum called on owners of beer drinking joints in the community to watch out for criminals as well as allow the local government area to regulate their
activities.
