Lagos: Our frightening encounters with armed gangs –Victims

One of the victims, Adaobi, a reporter with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), recently had a brush with the hoodlums. Even as she narrated the incident, she still appeared shaken.

She said: “I was returning from work on December 24 and I observed there was unusual traffic jam at Popoola Street, close to Ayeni Bus Stop, Mafoluku. Before I knew what was happening, about 30 young men in black T-shirts on black trousers came out from nowhere. They started attacking the passengers and drivers, who were held in traffic. I was in a tricycle. It was about 9:30p.m. The attack was well timed and in less than 10 minutes, they were through with the operation.”

Adaobi recalled that the men were armed with machetes and swopped on vehicles, threatening to cut people who did not cooperate with them.

She added: “I learnt they attacked at six flash points that day. They dispossessed me of my handbag containing my J7 phone worth N98,000, my Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card, N10,000 cash, my house and office keys. They went to other passengers in tricycles and dispossessed them of their valuables.”

Describing how she felt after the robbery, Adaobi said: “I was confused and shattered. I had to beg for money to get to my house that day. I was shaken and due to the fear that gripped me that day, I had to relocate from the area. I came back a week after the incident and reported the case at the Makinde Police Station. I want the police authority to stop these gangs as I heard they operate every day.”

A former journalist with The Sun Newspaper, Chief Tessy Igomu was also attacked at Mafolukun area of Lagos State. She was in her car when she hoodlums, in large surrounded seized opportunity offered by traffic jam and swooped on her car. They shattered her windscreen and collected her valuables, including her laptop.

Another victim, Shade Akande said: “I was going to my house at BEESAM bus stop on December 20th when a group of boys came out from nowhere and started harassing me. I told them to let me go. This was about 10pm; people were still outside, but nobody came to my rescue. They beat me up mercilessly and took my bag, phone, money and other valuables. After the robbery, people sitting outside while all this was going on told me that was what they had been facing in that area for long. I had to take drugs that night and the next day. I even went to hospital. Since that incident, I now hid my money in my body and I don’t go about with my handbag anymore.”

Another journalist, Mr Ajibade Olusesan, complained bitterly of how three goons robbed him of his money at Agege area of the metropolis.

Olusesan said: “I was walking down from the Agege Railway Bridge when a guy walked up to me, asking me for money. I agreed to do just, but suddenly two others came close and stopped me. This was happening at about 9:30pm. They ordered me to give them everything I had. I brought out all the money with me and gave them. One of them showed me a gun. They asked me to give them my laptop and phone, but I had to do or say something, so I told them that I was going to report them to the police and immediately, they ran off. Shortly after, I called Rapid Response Squad (RRS). On dialling the emergency line to report the case, a man picked the call, I told him about the incident. The man promised that RRS operatives would be dispatched immediately to that area in Agege. I decided to call back the next day to know how far they had gone with the planned deployment of the RRS operatives to that area, but no one picked my call. They assured me that they would go there and look into it, but interestingly, a friend of mine told me he was robbed at that same place. So this means that they didn’t go there after all.”

Mr Charles Ogundiya, a Sports Writer also has his own experience to reveal. He said: “I was going home from work when I saw three guys approached me at Pen Cinema, Agege. One of the guys said I should give them everything on me, I replied that I had no money, except for my transport fare home. They ordered me to bring it out, but I refused. They then decided to let me be. As I was climbing down the staircase, a woman told me to run before they come back to meet me again. This so called ‘Awawa Boys’ have been doing this over time, but I was lucky to have escaped them again. As I was trying to move away from there, I saw that these same guys were robbing another lady, right in front of me; so I ran away immediately. This horrific situation took place at night and this isn’t the first time they had accosted me, but as they tried getting close to me, I ran away.”

These victims said that they would really be happy if the state government looks into some black spots in Lagos State.

In Addo area of Ajah, residents complained of early morning robbery attack, which occurred on February 13.

A newspaper vendor, Mrs Kubirat Tijani, crying as she spoke with our correspondent said: “I stay at Addo Ajah, Transformer bus-stop. I sell at the market there. I have always heard about this kind of incident in the area, but this is the first time I’m a victim. The robbery occurred at about 2a.m. The robbers gained access into my apartment and went straight to the room of my sales girl. He collected all their phones and money from previous day sales. He asked them the direction to their boss’s room and out of fear, they pointed to my room. So the robbers came to my room. They started barking at me, ‘where is the money, where is the money.’ My 10-year-old daughter, Missturat told them not to kill her mother, that she would assist them to get all the money and gadgets. The robbers agreed to what my little girl said. They decided to look for the phones in the house. They took all the phones in the apartment, including the phone I had on me. They attacked one off her neighbours when she tried to resist. They shot at her wall and told her they didn’t come to her apartment to joke.”.j

Our correspondent spoke with the neighbour in question. She, however, refused to allow her name to be mentioned, expressing fear that the robbers might return to kill her once they see the news in the papers.

She said: “I was so terrified when they came in my apartment. They shot at my wall and scattered everywhere, but I thank God the life they took wasn’t one of ours. I heard that they even shot a guy and he was rushed to the hospital where he was rejected him because the hospital couldn’t treat him. But early this morning, we found out that they took him away so we couldn’t find him to confirm what had happened.”

Tijani and her neighbours urged the government and police to do some drastic about security in their community.

They said: “We can’t walk freely at day time and can’t sleep peacefully at night time. Won’t this be our end as we don’t have anywhere else to go? This area is infested with criminal and the government doesn’t want to do anything about it. We work hard here and all that these cult boys do is to disturb our peace and steal our income. Please, whosoever this meets should take it into their hands like it’s their business and do something about it. We need security in this community. All we want is just to live in peace.”