Ejigbo Pepper sellers update

This incident took place in the central market, Iyana Ejigbo, Ejigbo LCDA in February 2013. The pepper sellers normally leave their goods in their stalls. They returned the next day to discover that their goods were being stolen. They reported this to the vigilante they hired to secure the market.

 About 6am, the two women were allegedly caught stealing pepper. They were a wife and her step-daughter. They lived near the market with the husband. The husband is said to be a wine tapper. After the barbaric torture, both confessed to stealing the pepper and were let go. However, a few members of the vigilante feared that the case may spread. And informed the leadership of the vigilante group. 

Those involved were allegedly penalized and the gang disbanded. The scene was then converted to shops and rented out. I have reviewed these with the DPO and both of us are bothered by the impact of the time lag of over nine months on investigation. This may also explain the initial denials by the stakeholders.

We are working on getting the wine tapper to trace his wife and daughter involved. If he has not relocated from Ejigbo, then we have a good chance of retrieving information and tracking the story. The Lagos State House of Assembly, yesterday, announced a N1.25 million reward anyone for information thT will unravel the perpetrators of the brutalisation of two women in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, LCDA, last year.

Latest Report
According to the Chairman of the five-man ad HOC committee investigating the matter, Mr. Ajibayo Adeyeye:
“Anybody that gives information that leads to the arrest of the perpetrators of the heinous act shall be given N1 million. And I will add the sum of 250,000 from my private account to increase the sum to N1.25million.”

During the deliberation, the video clip of the incident which ran for about eight minutes was played, showing how the two women were tortured by the perpetrators.
The video clip moved the participants at the meeting to tears.
The President of Women Arise Initiative, Dr. Joe  Odumakin, who had previously led a protest to the House on the matter, explained that she saw the video for the first time on December 7, 2013, noting that the greatest gift anyone could give the women was to get justice for them