Seyi Makinde, is officially the governor of Oyo State, of which Ibadan is a major city and the capital but in Ibadan, Seyi Makinde has other contenders to his powers. While Ibadan people recognise the powers of Seyi Makinde to provide them security and good living, they fear groups of hoodlums more that they fear the police and the Amotekun, the new security apparatus cobbled together by the Yoruba states in the wake of herdsmen terorism.
” Even the police fear these people; sometimes these hooligans send the police on errand”, a resident told this reporter. A war Lord in the city with the nick name “Ebila” who was recently shot dead allegedly by a soldier during a fracas over which police and soldiers were called in is said to have his own cell in the Kudeti area of the city where he detained and punished people he arrested. He also had his armoury in the same place. “Ebila” headed the dreaded “one million boys” in the city whose location is at the Kudeti/Oke Oluokun axis of the city.
A “Marwa” driver who plies Kudeti/ Oja’ba said the death of “Ebila” has brought some semblance of peace to the area but another resident said trouble is not over yet because the person who took over from ‘Ebila’ is tougher than him. While ‘Ebila’ lived, he was recognised as ‘Kabiyesi” (King) and nobody talked to him on his feet, everybody had to knee before him, yet he was only 30 years old. Another resident who has sympathy for ‘Ebila’ said the situation was not as bad as was painted, that what ‘Ebila’ did not ‘like was cheating’. Another resident said the ‘boys’ defend the integrity of each area. In other words ‘Ebila’ was police, prosecutor and judge rolled together. ‘Ebila’ was rich and well connected. ‘He knew Ajimobi, the Governor who ruled the state before the current governor, Seyi Makinde, one on one. “He had a photograph of himself and late Chief Ajimobi”, an acolyte of ‘Ebila’ said.
‘Ebila’ was powerful, he had money, lived in his own house and has two cars. He was said to have the power to expel people from their houses if he had reason to do so. Five persons were said to have been so affected, one of them an imam who taught Ebila the Koran. One of the reasons given is when people snooped on him and his group. Contest over money was the reason that caused the fracas that eventually took away the life of ‘Ebila’. During the last gubernatorial contest, a candidate was said to have visited Kudeti area, the domain of ‘Ebila’ and gave cash gift to ‘Ebila’ and his group. A friend of the gubernatorial candidate also promised to send money to this group through a courier.
But when this courier didn’t deliver this money, the group got infuriated when they sported him at a party. Asked for the money, the man told them that only a part of the promised sum had been sent and he was waiting for the total so he could deliver all to the group. The group refused the explanation and decided to deal with the man accordingly. Policemen and soldiers were called in and in exchange of fire, a soldier’s bullet hit ‘Ebila’, who was said to possess power that imuned him from bullets. Eye witness account said several bullets fired at him initially did not hit him as he ran towards the stream that flow through the area. An old man was said to have asked the soldiers to stop shooting and to fire at him only when his foot step into the water of the stream. The soldiers obeyed and the first bullet fired after he stepped a foot into the stream hit his back and he fell and died.
While ‘Ebila’ was lord at Kudeti/Oke Oluokun axis, another war lord, Ekugbemi ruled the Isale Osi/ Foko axis. Ekugbemi birth had cultural and supernatural background to it. His parents were said to have been late to have children. This forced them to seek help from traditional ‘egungun’ (masquerade)worshippers. The father was said to have been told to come out in a masquerade costum with the covenant that if he did the masquerade will give him a son. The son would not live long and so must bear many children within his short life span. He had the son and named him after the masquerade, Ekugbemi. ‘Eku’ is the masquerade costum. But Ekugbemi became the champion of tough boys in the areas leading teams into the villages as ‘omo onile’ (land owners) to collect money from those who had bought land and were building them. He became rich and influencial and a friend of the politicians. People have attributed Ekugbemi toughness to his birth source. Ekugbemi had six wives and many children.
A widow of about 61 years who live in the born photo area in the domain of Ekugbemi described him as a nice person who was always asking his followers to get jobs to do and not depend on reward of crime. But his admonitions did not seem to have been heeded because the whole area of born photo where this widow lived bore clear signs of the attacks of the group. “They attack any time of the day, in the night and during the day. With their guns and cutlasses they break windows and shatter doors. In one instance they came and were breaking our doors when some of them told others that I and my husband’s senior wife had nothing to offer because we are widows and our children don’t live with us. Upon this pleadings they left but with broken windows, shattered doors and burnt shops as tell tale sign of their visit”. Ekugbemi died in a fracas as his group and a rival group fought over ownership of a piece of land. He was said to have been sliced into pieces by machete cuts.
And on 3 January another group struck at 8pm at Ogundipe street in Oranyan area of the ancient city. They invaded the roads stoping vehicular movement. They broke many shops in the area. A Punch online report said they were dislodged by the effort of the local hunters but later regrouped breaking into houses and shops until 12 midnight. It took the combined effort of the hunters and Amotekun to drive them back. Shop owners in the area have been relocating to other areas as a result of the attacks. Residents told Punch online that they can not ascertain the cause but the rampaging youths left three persons shot with one them seriously wounded and receiving attention at the University College Hospital in the city.
Sunday 2 January, another group of teenage boys under the aegis Agbekoya Peace Movement had their party which this reporter was privileged to watch. While their parents gave them a stern warning that the party must not exceed 6pm, the boys comported themselves, they didn’t wind up at 6pm but by 7pm. At least three of them openly strapped to their backs one dane gun each. When the reporter asked who were the dane gun wearing boys, he was told they were the security of the entire team. Whether they had any licence to carry the guns cannot be ascertained. It is doubtful also whether they had the matrutity to carry the same guns. Who was behind the movement also could not be as ascertained but a source said it cannot but be a politician or some politicians who have eyes on some future elections when he or they will call on the boys for action. Who knows, it may be somebody is grooming these teenagers to take over from the big boys when the time is ripe.
Kudeti/Oke Oluokun, Born Photo, Foko, Oranyan are not the only places where these rampaging youth operate from, other areas in Ibadan also have local expressions of these gangs. A retired civil servant that spoke with this reporter said those in Kobomoje area are the most deadly. Almost along all the streets can be seen groups of young boys smoking substances suspected to be indian hemp. Some harass passers bye and beg for money or extort. “When they are not high, they can be respectful if they know you but when they are high, don’t move near them because they will mess you up”, this retired civil servant who said the leader of the gang killed in Kudeti was the son of a junior brother to him told this reporter.
As to what could cause the problem, the retired civil servant blamed government. He said he wrote an article in 1977 in a major newspaper in the city that the children that were not being taken care of by the rich and those in authority while the rich were sending their own children abroad would soon grow out of hand. He said what he wrote then is what is happening now. He said whatever anybody might write about gangs is already known to police. He said some police officers are complicit in the problem. He pointed the reporter to somewhere near the place of the discussion and said “by the left of the road, you will see a shop, where ( he mentioned the name of the operator) sells indian hemp. If you pass through the place frequently enough, you will see a police vehicle that will park in the front of the shop. The driver will honk twice and you will see the owner rush inside and bring our packaged cash and give it to the driver”.
“I have seen a situation where a police vehicle parked in front of that shop and from it was unloaded of what seem to me to be sacks of Indian help”, the retired civil servant servant emphasised. Apart from this complicit of the security that encourages the consumption of Indian hemp which gets the youths high, the retired civil servant also attributed crisis to to break down of culture and tradition. In the days that he grew up, there were taboos that were taught to youths. While those taboos may not be true, they held the youths in check because they created fear in them that certain things must not be done. There were also traditions of respect for elders. He cited a case when he was rude to an elder. When his mother heard of it, apart from chastising him, she also went to apologise to the elder. “Mothers of today won’t do that, rather they will go and fight will that elder”, he said.
While the theory of neglect of the poor, the complicity of the security as well of break down of cultural restrictions are true, some people are also seeing a major cause in a popular legacy with which the city is known. The city itself was founded by warriors from different parts of the Yoruba land, so the city was known for fighting wars. But the theory of this legacy is told in a popular encounter of late Lamidi Adedibu, popularly called the strong man of Ibadan politics. Before Adedibu was another strong man, Alhaji Busari Oloyede Adelakun, nick named Eruobodo ( the river is never afraid). They were all acknowledged warriors in politics.
Lamidi Adedibu, as he told the story in a video had sent his boys to pull down the billboard of a sitting governor, Alhaji Lam Adesina. The Governor reported late Adedibu to the sitting president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo because they were of the same party, PDP while the governor was of another party, AD. Ex president Obasanjo had to traveledl to Ibadan to resolve the matter. He asked Alhaji Adedibu what kind legacy he wanted to bequeath in Ibadan. Alhaji Adedibu answered the president ‘ what kind of legacy again do you expect? Don’t you know the saying “Ija’gboro loro ‘badan’. ( the legacy of Ibadan is public disturbances and upheavals are the legacy of Ibadan). By thus saying Late Adedibu said he was continuing in the tradition for which the city is well known when he asked his boys to take down the billboard.
Whatever the cause may be, it is definitely true that the hen is come home to roost and that Ibadan is experiencing a conflagration that may blow up in the face of everybody. Violence and lawlessness is scaling up alarmingly in the city. The gangs have formed themselves into cults. They arm themselves with different charms whose efficacy is not proved but believed by both users and victims. By their charms they believe bullets can not penetrate their bodies, and that they can melt into thin air. Residents are not sleeping with their two eyes closed. Religion has not instilled morality; the youths bear Muslim names but they are not in the mosques, some even beat up the imams up.
Apart from having deep friendship with security operatives, these gangs have very deep connection with the politicians. The Commander of Oyo State security Amotekun, Col. Olayinka Olayanju (retd) said in a radio interview recently that some aides of Governor Seyi Makinde often lobby for the release of hoodlums arrested for breach of security especially in Ibadan. The oldest church in Ibadan the Cathedral Church of St David at Kudeti, the domain of one million boys has scanty youth presence in it when this reporter visited. The Church might need to evangelise the youth to build up the youths of the area in godliness, while Muslim parents must be told by their imams that it is not enough to bear Muslim names; that character change that befits a Muslim is necessary. Kudeti has massive presence of big mosques that are hardly attended and many madrasas but these are hardly reflected in the morality of the youths and the adults.
BROTHER TUNDE AKANDE.