Badoo: Women Protest At Oba’s Palace
No fewer than 300 women drawn from various communities in Ibeshe, Ikorodu area of Lagos State, Tuesday, embarked on a peaceful protest to the palace of two royal fathers, the Onibeshe of Ibeshe land, Oba Richard Ogunsanya and the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi over incessant killings by the suspected dreaded ritual cultists called Badoo.
The women, led by the wife of a community leader, Mrs Adelakun Nike, began the protest as early as 7a.m at the palace of the Onibeshe of Ibeshe land requesting that the traditional ruler finds a lasting solution to the killing.
According to them, their community is deserted due to the incessant killings while commercial activities have been put on hold since the killing started over a year ago.
The protesters carried placards and photographs of some of the victims of the attacks saying they no longer sleep with their eyes closed for fear of the unknown.
Addressing the protest, Mrs Adelakun said many families are traumatized which has led to mass relocation from the town due to shedding of innocent blood.
She said, “We are all women and mothers. We know the pains we go through during child labour. A situation where women and children are wiped away has called for a serious concern and we need not fold our arms and watch things get out of hand’’.
She claimed both the government and traditional ruler have been silent over the issue, ‘’This is not the first protest in this land, but our Oba is silent over the issue. Also, we have been to the government house but the governor did not hearken to our plight.
“There is mass relocation of people from Ibeshe land and our traditional ruler has shown little or no concern and that is why we have taken matters into our hands by embarking on a peaceful protest’’.
The women also protested at the palace of the Ayangbunren of Ikorodu, Oba Kabir Adewale Shotobi vowing to proceed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s office on Thursday if immediate action was not taken to stop this dastardly acts.
However, the traditional rulers and chiefs calmed the protesters, assuring that all will be well.
It will be recalled that the suspected Badoo cultists have killed many residents, with the most recent being last Sunday at Oke-Ota, Ibeshe, where a couple and their two children were killed while the third child of five years old, Fiyinfoluwa, was raped to coma and has since been hospitalised.
