Members of a shadowy grouping inwards Lagos community conduct maintain killed dozens of people too sold their blood for purpose inwards dark magic rituals.
In Owode Onirin, merely exterior Lagos, bloody clothes, drums, bibles too hymn books litter the bare flooring inwards the Crystal Church of God.
Three days earlier, 4 worshippers were killed equally they prayed, inwards the latest murders blamed on a shadowy gang dubbed the Badoo, believed to conduct maintain killed thirty people since June final year.
So-called 'cult killings' - gang violence oftentimes fuelled yesteryear drugs too belief inwards dark magic - are non a novel phenomenon inwards Nigeria, which is almost evenly dissever betwixt a Muslim northward too Christian south.
Crime oftentimes spikes during times of economical hardship.
But the murders yesteryear the Badoo are making headlines because of their increasing frequency too the means inwards which victims are dispatched.
'They must conduct maintain scaled the combat too hypnotised the victims before carrying out their deadly act,' State of Israel Ojobaro, an engineer who lives on the church building premises, said.
'Two women too 2 children, including a nine-month-old baby, had their heads smashed amongst a grinding stone.'
The gang too then moved to some other church building on the same street to bag coin too mobile phones.
'They must conduct maintain used (magic) charms equally no ane noticed when they entered the church. By the fourth dimension the worshippers were awake, their phones too coin had been taken away,' said church building caput Taiwo Adesanya.
Fear too a lack of faith inwards the police line to protect them has prompted residents to sentry over their communities. Every night, bonfires are lit on the streets betwixt 10:00 pm too 6:00 am.
Anyone caught on suspicion of beingness a fellow member of the gang is at in ane lawsuit lynched, locals said.
Police tell vigilantes conduct maintain killed at to the lowest degree 10 suspects inwards the final month. Innocent people conduct maintain been targeted.
The Badoo saga started final twelvemonth when a woman someone schoolteacher was raped too killed inwards the Ibeshe expanse of Ikorodu, which lies 10 kilometres (six miles) from Lagos across the lagoon equally the crow flies.
The woman's skull was smashed amongst a stone. Before leaving, the gang wrote 'Badoo' on the wall. Since then, in that place conduct maintain been like killings across the town.
Members of the gang are believed to conduct maintain magical powers which they purpose to mysteriously look too disappear during attacks.
'Initially, nosotros idea (the Ibeshe case) was merely a representative of robbery,' said resident Olubare Ademola.
'But nosotros began to conduct maintain them to a greater extent than seriously when nosotros realised they conduct maintain been using the same style.’
Last month, a man, his 28-year-old married adult woman too 2 children, were killed inwards the Odogunyan expanse of Ikorodu. Other killings conduct maintain occurred inwards quick succession.
The gang is said to drain the blood of their victims into a calabash or gourd, too then soak it onto a white handkerchief.
'The rumour is that Badoo sells the blood-stained handkerchief to ritualists who purpose it for coin too ability charms,' said Babatunde Ogunyemi, a traditional original inwards Ibeshe, inwards the due south of Ikorodu.
'Each handkerchief costs 500,000 naira ($1,600, 1,400 euros). This explains why Badoo commonly wipe out an entire household unit of measurement inwards social club to brand to a greater extent than money.’
Local people inwards Ibeshe conduct maintain turned to traditional methods to combat the gang too claim to conduct maintain driven them from the expanse afterwards making beast sacrifices to local deities, according to Ogunyemi.
Despite the prevalence of Islam too Christianity inwards Nigeria, belief inwards dark magic (juju) remains widespread, specially exterior the main cities.
A articulation armed services functioning has been launched to even out out a publish of gangs from inwards too to a greater extent than or less Ikorodu, where schoolchildren conduct maintain equally good been kidnapped.
'We received an tidings study that some cultists (gang members) were trying to cast an umbrella trunk called '777' too nosotros rapidly moved inwards to abort it,' a senior the world forces officeholder told AFP on July 7.
As he spoke, soldiers jumped downwards from a convoy of pick-up trucks too ran towards the Ikorodu creeks inwards search of suspected Badoo members too other gangs.
'It's going to move a continuous practise until nosotros are able to brand the communities security too secure,' the officeholder said.
The police line inwards Lagos solid set down said they had arrested too were interrogating some 200 suspects over the Badoo killings.
'Those amongst no representative to respond volition move released,' said police line spokesman Olarinde Famous-Cole.
Lagos solid set down governor Akinwunmi Ambode met amongst traditional rulers inwards Ikorodu final calendar week too urged them to collaborate amongst his authorities to 'arrest this province of affairs equally rapidly equally possible'.
AFP