Jungle Justice: Appeal To Lagos State Governor, Muslim Leaders

Post created on 12:18 pm

An online petition started by one Ronke Onadeko to ban Okada in Lagos that preceded governor Sanwo-Olu’s directive on Wednesday banning the operations of commercial motorcycle riders in six Local Governments and nine Local Government Development Areas in the state has garnered over 1,510 signatures.

Governor Sanwo-Olu’s directive followed the gruesome killing of Mr David Imoh in Lekki axis by suspected motorcyclists as of 5.05 pm on Wednesday. Imoh was lynched by some okada operators who mistook him for a ritualist on Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Lekki, Lagos State. Two other people, Francis Olatimji and Phillip Balogun, were also hospitalized as a result of the incident.

Some leaders of the Hausa community in Lagos State have appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to reverse the ban on Okada operations in six local government areas of the state. The affected councils are Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Surulere, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland and Apapa.

The leaders, on Wednesday, said Okada riders who hail from northern Nigeria contribute significantly to the voting population of Lagos and should not be economically strangulated. Speaking, the Seriki of Obalende, Saliu Waziri, “This issue has taken us a long time and we have been trying to put our members on the line. I want to advise the government to rethink its decision because Lagos can’t operate without bikes because of traffic. Government should register Okada riders in each local government to know those working in any local government. By so doing, the government would know who to pick when any issue arises.

“Some of our members stay here in Lagos and vote during elections. That should count for something because we contribute to votes during elections. The government should change the system of Okada riders not stopping them.”

In another case of jungle justice carried out in Sokoto state, Islamic leaders have been called to conduct open preaching in Mosques and mass media for their followers to educate them on the negative effects of taking laws into their hands whenever they feel aggrieved on alleged infringement on their religion.

The Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria gave the advice in a statement made available to newsmen in Ilorin on Wednesday.

Reacting to the gruesome murder of Deborah Yakubu, a 200-level Home Economics Student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto State, who was stoned to death and burnt for alleged blasphemy to Prophet Mohammad, the National Chairman of the CPFN, Pastor E.S Awojide, condemned the killing and described the act as inhuman and illegal.

The CPFN in the statement signed by Elder Segun Bamidele, its National Publicity Secretary, said the Sultan of Sokoto, who is the leader of all Muslims in Nigeria, and other Islamic leaders should openly preach to all Muslims never to attack or kill any person for whatever reason, but to report any allegation of infringement of any law or custom to the Police for investigation, and never to take laws into their hands.

The group advised the Sultan to do this openly in the mosque and on national television to carry weight and convinced Muslims that killing others for blasphemy was not the appropriate thing to do.

“The Sultan should let his followers know the consequences of violation of all human rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Awojide said.