Tension In Igando As Residents Lament Police Biases Over The Release of Suspected Ritualist

By Chinyere Ikem, LAGOS/ The fear of Ifeanyi Nwokolobia, an alleged Ritualist and gangster, who  was described by residents of Igando area of Lagos State, Nigeria as a terrorist is fast becoming order of the day in the area.

The 34 years Ifeanyi moved into the popular Odukoya street, Afolabi area of Akesan lgando, Lagos state two years ago. He was alleged to be residing with dozens of fierce looking young men, whose sources of livelihood are unknown and questionable.

In tandem with the operation know your Neighbor initiative of the Lagos state Police Commissioner, Mr Edgal imohimi, some of the neighbour recently raised alarm on Nwokolobia’s questionable activities. One of the landlords in the area, Engineer Dickson Onome, said “time is ripe for the state authorities and unbiased security agencies to properly investigate the activities of the suspect and his cohorts”. He noted that  “this young man came into our hitherto peaceful area about two years ago and completed his mansion within six months and ever since then, he has been tormenting and terrorising the neighbourhood with his boys whose sources of living are unknown to us”.

The Engineer recounted a fresh incidence that “happen weeks back, when a missing child was freed from his mansion, which he said led to some mob throwing bottles and stones into his building.   Another resident, Mr Gbenga Adeoye, told our correspondent that police operatives from the General investigation Department at Alagbon close, lkoyi Lagos, under Deputy commissioner of police (DC), Mr Abutu yaro, had in may, 2017 stormed Nwokolobia’s house at 10 odukoya street and 19 salawu street, off idowu street,Ajegunle with search warrant and wisked him away.

According to Mr. Adeoye, ” How that man came back from Alagbon police desplte all incriminating evidences that was said to have been found in his house remained a mystery to our neighbourhood.”    Shortly after the arrest by policeman from Alagbon close, Nwokolobia’s mansion was said to have been invaded on December 12,2017, by Raider’s police operatives, under Deputy commissioner of police (DC) Bolaji Salami of Panti Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos, who also arrested him.

This Panti arrest, Onome said, was after police officers from Area ‘m’ command, ldimu, under Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Austine Akika, had invited Nwokolobis for questioning over his alleged role in the said threat, abduction and false imprisonment of onome’s wife, Mrs Josephine Onome Dickson, by Nwokolobia’s wife, Mrs Roseline in collaboration with one Mr Ekene, Helen oluba, Tina Atubi and Ego.   “Because Nwokolobis suspected me of being behind his arrest and investigations, they hatched an evil plot and used Ekene to lure my wife into Nwokolobia’s house under false alarm that the couples were fighting, and immediately she entered their compound, they falsely imprisoned my wife by locking her up, knelt her down under the hot sun, seized her phones, humiliated and tortured her while taking photographs of her suffering, accusing my wife of spreading rumor that Nwokolobia is a Ritualist,” Onome Laments

In a petition written by Onomes Lawyer, Mr Oyeleke Oyeniran, dated December 20, 2017 and received on January 3rd, 2018 by the Assistant Inspector General of police, ( AIG), zone 2, onikan, Lagos, he narrated how Mr sule Danladi, an Assistant Superintendent of police ( ASP), attached to Area ‘m’ police command and the IPO of the case, could not properly investigate the matter.   “That on December 2nd, 2017, Ifeanyi Nwokolobia brought two men with pistol tucked in at the hip of their trouser and aliglited from his car and pulled up their shirts as Mrs Josephine Onome was coming out of her house”.   The petition further alleged that when the case was transfered to panti CID, DC salami, directed the case file back to Akika for proper investigation.  According to Engr Onome ” instead of investigating the case as directed by the DC, Akika because of monetary gains from the suspect, took him to his police colleague at Abuja, who transfered the matter to Mr Gbolahan olugbemi, a chief superintendent of police (CSP) and officer in charge of zone 2 monitoring unit, who stormed my house with over ten police men to arrest my wife and me.”   Lamenting, Onome said, “since then police officers from ldimu and zone 2 have been terrorising us just because lfeanyi Nwokolobia openly boasted that he has spent over #5 million to buy the entire police command over.

According to Onome  Ifeanyi Nwakolobia has been caught saying that he gave out his money to buy his way”.  Buttressing his allegations of bribery against the police units, he queried why his petition to the AIG, which was received on January 3rd, was not approved but Nwokolobia’s petition which came in on January 9th 2018, was approved and signals for case file transfer was received by sule on 11th January with remider on January 16th 2018,

He vowed to employ all legal means to get justice despite what he called police compromise due to gratification.

When our correspondent contacted Nwokolobia, he denied being a ritualist. ” I am a licensed clearing agent at Apapa. I am not a ritualists. I have only seen Onome once and may not recognize him if I see him”, he stated.   While confirming that police officers from Alagbon had last year arrested and searched his home over a whistle blower report, he said nothing incriminating was found.

His words: “Yes I was arrested by police officers from Alagbon, panti and Idimu Area command but at the end of investigations, they freed me for the allegations were false. This present trouble now was mere domestic quarrel between my wife, Onome wife and other women over gossip by Onomes wife that I am a ritualists. ”   However, the chairman of ilado Akasan CDA, Elder Tunde Orugbangbam in a telephone chat confirmed that he was aware of the on -going police issues but promised that his CDA has wielded into the crises with a view to bringing peace back to the neighborhood.   Orugbangbam, who confirmed that Nwokolobia is a resident in their area, denied being aware of the allegations of ritual practice by the accused.