By CHARLES IWUOHA

A group, Ajegunle Peoples’ Movement (APM), a community-based platform of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM, has condemned the violence that erupted in the local government orchestrated by bourgeois politicians.

APM blamed both the Nigeria police and the local government chairman, Hon. Fatai Adekunle Ayoola, for failing to arrest the growing violence and criminal activities.

The group in a statement issued over the weekend and signed by the coordinator, Mr Moshood Oshunfurewa, said despite the populace’s early notification and distress calls to the various police stations, the frequently arrive late and were only interested in raiding innocent youths.

The statement reads in part: “We in the APM blame both the authorities (the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the local government chairman) for failing to arrest the growing violence and criminal activities.

“For example, despite the populace’s early notification and distress calls to the various police stations, policemen frequently arrive late and were only interested in raiding innocent youths or onlookers long after these misguided political thugs or hoodlums had left the scene with their victims in sorrow, fear, pain, and blood.

"For more than five weeks, heinous crimes have been committed on a daily basis, primarily in areas populated with many traders.

“Criminal atrocities are the order of the day under the nose of Hon. Fatai Ayoola and police stations’ DPOs, ranging from ritual killings in Trinity to weekly street fights between Iyalode and Alayabiagba and house-to-house night robbery in the streets of Arumoh and Layinka axis of the LG.

“This is besides the rivalry and supremacy battle of different factions of the road transport union popularly known as Agbero, continue to make life unbearable.

“We were even more alarmed by the deteriorating security situation in Ajegunle, growing poverty and youth restiveness, given that, according to statistical data sourced from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBA) and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, more than N38.98 billion has been allocated to the Ajeromi-Ifelodun-led APC party government in the last 12 years.

“Sincerely, there is little to show for it! Hence, we demand a probe of the Faita Ayoola LGA-led Council and the past Local Government administrations by elected representatives of workers and community people.

“If the Federal Allocation (FA) money and revenue generated from market women and men, including Okada riders, shops, traders, and artisans, had been democratically and judiciously managed by workers and community people, together with demand on the state and federal governments to provide infrastructure and adequate funding for education and health care it is possible to begin to address the conditions that make social problems thrive.

“As we speak, it is rare to see traders selling their petty markets or conducting legitimate business at the boundary market, Ibafon market, cemetery market, or Wilmer market, to name a few without fear of horror inflicted on their business or life.

“In fact, life and business in Ajegunle have been severely disrupted, as if we are in a state of war. This situation is complicated further by poorly motivated police force and the fact that police officers continue to rely on relatively primitive human intelligence-gathering tools or weapons to carry out their constitutionally mandated task of combating or preventing crime.

“In the immediate future, we urge the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) to arrest and prosecute these political thugs and hoodlums who are perpetrating these unlawful but heinous activities in Ajeromi-Ifelodun LGA, regardless of their inclination or connection to any political godfather or political party.

“We also demand that the Nigerian police should end illegally raiding, extortions, and harassing of innocent residents. We also call for setting up of democratically run non-sectarian community defence committees including representatives of community people, traders, artisans, youths and police to organize measures and steps against insecurity and any act of violence.

“We call on the youths, traders, market women and men, shopkeepers’ associations, including CDAs, in the various communities to begin pressing political office holders in local government – the local executive government chairmen, two members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, and a member of the Federal House of Representative and the Lagos State government to create gainful employment by building industries and social amenities.

“This, we believe, is critical in dealing with the Youths who are being used as political thugs to cause havoc in our society.

“However, we believe that things will only improve when the entire capitalist state and anti-poor system is fully challenged and defeated and in its place have a socialist order wherein production and exchange are carried out democratically to meet the needs of all.”