The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has called on all security agencies and the general public living and operating at Ile-Zik roundabout area in Ikeja, Lagos, to be more vigilant as hoodlums have converted the boat monument to a den where unsuspecting victims are extorted and raped.
Debo Adeniran, CACOL’s executive Chairman, in a statement signed by Jolomi Fenemigho, the group’s Research and Documentation Officer, said the centre got wind of the actions of hoodlums through one its Good Governance, Accountability and Transparency Educators (C-GATE) units.
He said: “The C-GATE Units were created and inaugurated in all Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Developmental Areas(LCDAs) in both Lagos and Osun states to educate the grassroots on how to hold the government accountable and demand transparency through its educators.”
Adeniran expressed worries over the escalation of the nefarious acts being perpetrated by hoodlums in the area during and after relaxation of the lockdown.
He said: “Report reaching us at one of our C-GATE meetings indicated that these wicked and ungodly acts have been persistent underground, even before the Coronavirus lockdown.
“Many have fallen prey to the criminals’ hunt as such items undergarments, purses, wallets, school bags and one passport picture of a young school girl were found at the suspected crime scene.
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“Although the notoriety of the place had been acknowledged in the recent past, up till this present moment, nothing has been said or done by the law enforcement agents to detect, investigate and to bring these suspected possible perpetrators of the suspected heinous crimes to book.”
Adeniran expressed disappointment over the under-performance of security agencies in curbing street crimes in Lagos, especially during the pandemic crisis.
He lamented the increased rate of crime and sexual violence during the lockdown, even as he urged all security agencies to up their games in bringing the trend under perpetual check.
According to him, “since the beginning of the pandemic and the attendant lockdown, reports of rape cases have sky-rocketed in all states of the federation, hence the extra vigilance of all security agencies on active duty and the protocol cannot be over-emphasised.”
He urged the authorities to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the capacity of different security agencies are reinforced to ensure maximum protection for the Lagos citizens and that of Nigeria in general.”
The CACOL boss demanded an immediate investigation into the activities of hoodlums at the Ile Zik area in Ikeja, arrest the culprits and diligently prosecute anyone found culpable to serve as deterrent to others.
