Even though the Federal and State Governments in Nigeria rolled out several measures to curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, deliberate violation and non-compliance has been the attitude of a majority of Nigerians across the country.
Sadly, insecurity has continued, unabated, to trail the attitude of the citizenry towards the disease, while law enforcement agents have played a prominent role in the sleepless nights been experienced by the people.
Pedophilia, rape, incest, defilement, prostitution, sodomy, homosexuality and other sexual crimes are the major features that characterize several communities in Nigeria, occasioned by the forced restriction of movement.
In the Olorunsogo, Molete area of Ibadan, Oyo state, and several other communities in Nigeria, the safety of lives and property of residents have been left in the hands of hoodlums, whose stock in trade is the brandishing of matchets, smoking of Indian hemp and drinking of the local gin, popularly known as ‘’Ogogoro’’. Surprisingly, the activities of the self styled vigilante in the community, who have converted the entry point into the Kehinde Aderibigbe street, as their point of operation, is under supervision of a fair in complexion female beer parlor owner, who is also a resident of the community, the beer parlor owner supports them in cash and kind. Indeed, beer joints in a shopping plaza, Amoke’s mall, in the community, is home to people of doubtful and questionable character.
The utterances of the hoodlums, who at all times display violent tendencies is suggestive of the fact that their activities have the blessings of a number of law enforcement agents, even as residents continue to live in fear every blessed night, just as lawlessness and anarchy have become the way of life of the residents of the community.
This situation in Olorunsogo, Molete, Ibadan is a good illustration of the helpless situation in several communities in the country, with strong indications that Government and its officials are desirous to take advantage of same to promote self serving and pecuniary interests.
Sadly, personnel of law enforcement agencies no longer abide by their codes of conduct, as the quest to keep body and soul together has over time taken over their sense of reasoning.