Taiwo Jimoh
IGP, Baba
Two journalists, Stanley Akpunonu and Ngozi
Egenuka, working with The Guardian Newspaper in Lagos State, recently received
their baptismal of fire in the hands of traffic armed robbers, who seemed to
have taken over the entire Lagos State metropolis.
Both victims were attacked at Cele Bus Stop, along
the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway and their valuables taken. According to the
victims, the robbers were armed with machetes and guns. They lost two Android
phones, one iPhone, cash and a laptop worth over N300, 000 to the robbers.
Recalling the incident, one of the victims,
Egenuka narrated: “We were in a bus, heading to Mile II when the tyre of the
bus burst along Cele Bus Stop in traffic. We all came down and asked the
conductor and driver to return our bus fares. While we were arguing and
shouting, five men appeared from nowhere and robbed us. One of them put a gun
to Stanley’s head, saying, ‘don’t shout or I will shoot. Oya bring out your
phone.’ One of them used his machete to hit my head three times because I
refused to release my phone. They snatched my handbag from her.”
Akpunonu
on his part described the experience as traumatising. He said: “A gun was
pointed at me and my phones and laptop were taken. The driver and conductor of the bus we boarded
managed to escape before the robbers surrounded the passengers.”
The upsurge in the incident of robberies in
Lagos State traffic logjams has become a source of concern to residents and
motorists within the state metropolis.
Preliminary investigations showed that these
traffic robbers are between ages 15 and 20. These youngsters brazenly operate
in different parts of Lagos State metropolis and usually target period when
there are traffic jams.
Some motorists claimed that some of these
suspects operated even in areas policed by security agents and had never been
challenged or checked. Both the rich, poor and influential Nigerians are
beginning to complain about the spate.
Charles Inojie, a Nollywood actor and
producer, was robbed of his valuables at gunpoint in Lagos traffic. Chinedu
Ikedieze via his official Instagram page shared the news about the robbery
where he dropped Inojie’s new contact for people who might want to reach him.
Perturbed by the increase, the United States
of America Consulate Office, on April 27, issued a security alert about the
incessant attacks by motorcycle riders in traffic in Lagos. The consulate noted
that these robberies were more at Ikoyi and Victoria Island.
The consulate also described how armed cyclists,
would follow a vehicle until it stops at a traffic light or intersection, then swooped
on the vehicle and thereafter rob the occupants.
Although most of the robberies occurred at
night, the consulate revealed that it has been observed that robberies also
take place during daylight hours.
The consulate warned members of the public to
be aware of their surroundings, especially when driving at night. It also urged
motorists to keep doors and windows of vehicles locked while in traffic jams or
at traffic light interjections.
It was gathered that some Lagos motorists
routes, which had recently become flashpoints for traffic robberies in Lagos,
includes; Third Mainland Bridge, Gbagada-Oworonshoki-Ketu routes, Mile
Two-Badagry Expressway, Ojota, Berger, Oshodi-Iyana Isolo expressway,
Jibowu-Ojuelegba axis, Iyana Ipaja-Abule Egba and Lagos- Ibadan Expressway
amongst others.
The Lagos State Police Command in an effort to
get rid of these robbers began a clamp down on different part of the state
metropolis.
This led to the arrest of 10 suspects on May
1, believed to be among those terrorising the Ikeja area of the state. The
suspects allegedly attacked unsuspecting commuters and dispossessed them of
their belongings. The suspects were arrested following a distress call by one
of their victims.
The arrest of these 10 suspects, led to the
further arrest of Mr. Idris Adamu, 42. Police accused Adamu of allegedly
receiving stolen items from the suspects, thus aiding their crime.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations
Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, said: “Operatives attached to the Strike Team
of the command, on May 1, at about 2.p.m, arrested 10 suspected cultists and
traffic robbers who were attacking and dispossessing innocent people of their
belongings at Railway-Crossing, Ikeja Along, Ikeja, Lagos. The operatives, who
responded to a distress call from one of the victims, were said to have raced
to the area and arrested some of the suspects in action, while others were
arrested at their hideouts around Ikeja Along. They also confessed to the
crime. The suspects also revealed that they attacked their targets with iron
rods, guns, cutlasses and charms during operations.”
Adejobi further explained that in the course
of police investigation, the suspects revealed the identity of one of their
receivers. The receiver was later arrested at Alade Market, where he went to
dispose of the stolen goods. Police recovered items like phones, necklaces and wrist
watches from the receiver and suspects.
On January 5, police also arrested suspected
robbers operating in traffic at the Ketu area of the metropolis. The suspects
were nine in number and the youngest among them is 18 years old.
Adejobi said: “The suspects had attacked Mr.
Adejare Adetayo and wife in the traffic at the area when police detectives on
undercover operation along the area went after them and arrested nine of them
with their operational weapons.”
Similarly, on February 4, Police arrested no
fewer than five suspected traffic robbers during a raid on criminal hideouts in
the Ikorodu area of the state. The raid on the suspected traffic robbers was
said to be in furtherance of the promises of the Lagos State Commissioner of
Police, Hakeem Odumosu, at the recently concluded Ikorodu Town Hall meeting
held on January 27, to sanitise the division of illegal and criminal acts.
After meeting, the CP’s Special Strike Force,
on February 4, embarked on sting operations. The special strike force, led by
an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Operations, comprised Rapid Response
Squad (RRS) operatives, Police Taskforce and policemen from the State Intelligence
department. The operations were carried out simultaneously to raid black spots
and traffic robbers along the the Ikorodu routes, particularly at Agric area
and some other parts of the town, which were believed to be criminal hideouts.
The squad succeeded in clearing the blockages on the roads, illegal parks and
shops and ended up arresting five men alleged to be suspected traffic robbers
and cultists.
Adejobi said: “The CP has vowed to
consistently carry out sting operations in Ikorodu area and other parts of the
state in order to ensure adequate protection of lives and property in the state.
The CP has appealed to the traditional rulers, Baales, Iyalojas and unions in
the town to support the police in its efforts to sanitise the town and initiate
a better security network for them to get rid of traffic robbers and armed
robbers.”
However, in order to halt the increase in
traffic robbery in the state, the Police command on April 22, further deployed
1,000 police officers to check traffic robberies within the state metropolis.
The policemen were given motorcycles to make it easier for them to maneuver and
track traffic robbers even as they were in action.
Adejobi explained that One-Chance Robbery was
one of the crimes recorded almost on a daily basis. He said that passengers were
often robbed and then pushed out of moving commercial vehicles.
The image maker added: “This is why we have
intensified our intelligence and are taking proactive measures to make sure the
perpetrators are caught in their hideouts before they strike. What the CP has
done again is to deploy additional 1,000 personnel to the traffic division of
the state. They were given motorcycles to maneuver and keep traffic robbers in
check. Traffic robberies had recently become a recurrent feature across Lagos,
with the criminals operating under the cover of operating motorcycles on the
expressway.”
A security analyst, Frank Oshanugor, said: “Other
security agencies and paramilitary can join hands with the police to tackle the
menace. Personally, I have witnessed a situation where robbers on motorcycle
robbed a lady who was going to the market around 5am. The robbers were
loitering around and immediately the lady alighted from a motorcycle, they
snatched her bag from her. It was the shouting of the lady that attracted
passersby, but there was nothing people could do to assist her. My suggestion
to the police is that they shout intensified efforts. Unfortunately, we didn’t
have enough policemen to carry out the duty of monitoring the roads in the
state. Recently, in our area, we held meeting with a divisional police officer
of area and he complained about non availability of enough policemen in his
division, let alone of the state. Motorcycle riders should also be banned
completely.”
Another security expert, Mr. Ben Okezie, said
the issue of traffic robbery was a societal problem, which needed to be tackled
headlong before it blew out of proportion. He argued that the huge security
votes given to governors should be used for the benefits of youths in the
states, in order to check them from taking to arms and crimes.
Odumosu, however, has refuted claims that
traffic robbery was on the increase in the state.
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