The Senator representing Lagos East in the Senate, Senator Gbenga Ashafa has decried the rising incidents of jungle justice in the Ikorodu area of Lagos East Senatorial District.
There were recent reports of lynching and in some cases outright killing of suspected members of the Badoo Cult group, terrorizing the community past few days. With some of the victims identified as innocent law abiding members of the society.
Senator Gbenga Ashafa commended the people of Ikorodu for saying no to the existence of the group within their community. In his words, “I commend the resilience of the Ikorodu people who have unequivocally said NO to the presence of such a nefarious group within the Ikorodu community. Also, I commend the efforts of the Government of Lagos State ably led by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, in conjunction with Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, various vigilante groups including the Oodua Peoples Congress and the Onyabo who have mobilized with the police to flush out, neutralize and prosecute as many of such criminals as exist within the Ikorodu environment.”
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Ashafa however condemned the incidents of jungle justice, stating that, “Unfortunately, I have also received the news that in the process of resisting the members of the Badoo Cult group, the residents of Ikorodu have taken the laws into their hands and resorted to jungle justice. In some instances as reported, people have been arrested and lynched to the extent of being burnt to death. This is absolutely unacceptable; it is against the tenets of humanity and Justice.”
He concluded by urging the people of Ikorodu and its environs to remain law abiding while staying vigilant and alert in the face of rising insecurity, stating that “As the people of Lagos East, we must continue to be civil and law abiding in all we do. While our disposition in the face of rising insecurity must be that of vigilance and alertness, I strongly believe that we must channel all our suspicions through the appropriate channels for arrest, rather than taking the laws into our hands.”
“Lagos East boasts of the most noble, enlightened, industrious, intellectually advanced and law abiding people. We cannot in 2017 allow ourselves to be returned to the primitive days of jungle justice because most often than not mob actions result in wrongful punishment for innocent citizens like you and I.