Over the last half decade, there has been a rise in gang violence in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic and commercial capital. While many Lagosians have suffered loss of life, health or property few were direct targets of the violence. With the rise of the Badoo gang in Ikorodu, this time-honoured pattern of criminality has been upended.

The Ikorodu local government area of Lagos has been the hotbed of violence in recent times. The unique geography of the area, with scattered communities, mangrove swamps, creeks, and relative distance from metropolitan Lagos means that a lot can happen in the relative isolation of the district, from which most of Lagos is insulated. With the rise of oil bunkering as a cottage industry in the area, the accompanying violence that marks the increased competition for resources, supply routes and a foothold outside of the reach of law enforcement authorities has significantly escalated. Last year, SBM Intelligence published a report detailing the violence in the area. Many communities in Ikorodu resorted to self-help due to this failure of law enforcement and the justice system. It was in this atmosphere of violence targeted at residents and where residents responded with their own variant of jungle justice that a new gang, Badoo, emerged.

More: https://www.naijiant.com/guestcolumn/effect-badoo-cult-ikorodus-economy/