DESPAIR best describes the emotion of 32-year-old Ikenna as he narrated how he lost his N300,000 savings and other valuables to a one-chance robbery gang in Lagos. With tears, he spoke of how he lost the money, which he intended to use to secure an apartment, in the course of a trip to Lagos Island to keep a business appointment....CONTINUE READING
One chance is the street slang residents of Lagos have ascribed to organised robbery in public or private commercial buses.
The robbery operation is often perpetrated by a gang of criminals who pose as operators of commercial vehicles by calling passengers into them only to rob such passengers in the course of the journey and push them off the vehicles while still in motion.
Many unsuspecting passengers have met their untimely death in such circumstances, landing fatally on the road after being thrown off moving vehicles. Some other victims have been shot or inflicted with knife wounds for seeming uncooperative.
Recently, residents of the state and community security organisations reported increased cases of unsuspecting passengers falling victim to the criminal enterprise.
General Manager of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), Prince Ifalade Oyekan, disclosed to Saturday Tribune that 22 one-chance arrests were made across the state within five months, with Surulere Local Government recording the highest number.
The state police command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, was not readily available for comment.
‘My robbery experience’
Telling his story, Ikenna explained how he was dispossessed of his ATM cards, phones and other valuables in a commercial bus he unknowingly boarded from Doyin Bus Stop in Orile to CMS in broad daylight.
He said: “On that fateful day, it was around 9a.m. I woke up early to keep a business appointment on the island. I am a carpenter and I had lobbied for some work, for which I was invited to defend my proposal.
“I felt the contract, if given to me, would mark a turnaround in my life because I have not been finding it easy, especially in terms of accommodation.
“My wife and I have been squatting with a friend. So, since the beginning of the year, I have been saving my earnings to be able to secure a room-and-a-parlour apartment. I had thought that whatever I was able to get from the job would add to the amount I had saved to secure an apartment.
“So, I left our residence and headed for Doyin Bus Stop to board a bus to CMS. I never knew that journey would turn to the loss of my hard-earned money. I lost my money and the carpentry work I would have got if I was able to keep the business appointment on the Island.
“As I got to the bus stop, I saw a white commercial bus with a conductor hailing passengers. I raced to enter the bus. I was the only passenger that entered the bus at Doyin Bus Stop. In the bus, there were about eight other passengers. One passenger was seated beside the driver; three passengers were seated on the seat behind the driver, one passenger was seated on the second seat and three other passengers at the back seat.
“I decided to sit beside the only passenger on the second row and the driver zoomed off. But when we got to Ascon Bus Stop towards the link bridge to Costain, the driver stopped to pick up two more passengers. Both of them sat beside me. And we continued the journey to CMS. As we are about to climb the bridge, there came an announcement from the driver, ‘Every one of you should give everything you have on you to the person sitting beside you’.
“I was shocked. In disbelief, I looked at the person that was sitting right beside me. He looked away and stretched his hand, ready to collect whatever I had on me.
“Without saying a word but with a gun placed by my rib cage, he collected my ATM cards, two phones and the N2,300 that was meant to serve as my transport fare to the Island.
“It was at this time that I realised that I was the only victim of the robbery operation. All the other eight passengers were accomplices. The driver told us to cooperate if we didn’t want to be harmed.
“I had entered the wrong bus. All the ‘passengers’, including the two ‘passengers’ that later joined us in the bus, were members of the criminal gang. They were neatly dressed like people that were going to their respective offices.
“In fact, the ‘passenger’ who sat beside the driver was complaining bitterly that the Federal Government and Tinubu administration had further impoverished the masses. You would be convinced that they were innocent Nigerians with the way they spoken English. After the robbery operation that lasted for less than five minutes, I was pushed out of the bus in front of Covenant Church in Iganmu and they sped off.
“I was confused. I hurried to a nearby ATM point at Costain to see if I would be able to block my card but the security guard on duty told me it was a quick service point; that I should go to Bode Thomas to lodge a formal complaint.
“I was in a Keke Marwa when debit alerts started rolling in. They withdrew all the money I had in my two accounts totalling N298,000. All this happened in June. I lost my money and the contract I had hope would give me more money to secure an apartment. As I speak, my wife and I are still squatting with my friend.”
Growing menace
Ikenna is just one of dozens of victims of one-chance armed robbery syndicate that is fast returning to the city of Lagos.
In Lagos, according to the General Manager of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Prince, Ifalade Oyekan, there has been 22 reported cases of one-chance robbery across the state with Surulere Local Government having the highest number of cases.
The statistics on one-chance robbery incidents made available to Saturday Tribune showed that between May and October 2023, the officials of the LNSC apprehended 22 suspects.
Giving a breakdown of the number, Oyekan said Shomolu Local Government had three cases; Kosofe Local Government, four cases; Mosan Okunola Local Council Development Authority, five; Ikosi Isheri, two; Ojodu, two and Surulere Local Government, six.
He attributed the arrests to the diligence and commitment of officials of the corps.
A security expert, Dr Felix Olorunda, advised residents to be vigilant, especially as the economic crunch bites hard.
According to him, there has been a spike in criminal activities as many in the state are trying to make ends meet.
He said the way to not fall victim to one-chance armed robbery is to be vigilant and not be in haste to enter a commercial vehicle.
Red flag
Olorunda, who is the chief executive of SSV Protection Services, gave some safety tips.
He said: “One of the security mechanisms is to be extra vigilant. Times are hard. The economy is biting really hard on Lagosians. There is a spike in economic hardship and in such situation, Lagosians are trying to make ends meet.
“One-chance robbery is not limited to the bus. It happens also on tricycles and okada. Many of these criminally-minded people engage in this nefarious act, without considering where it will lead them.
“And the truth is, they hardly engage in it in broad daylight. It is mainly in early dawn or late in the night. The tempo is high under the cover of darkness, therefore Lagosians need to be careful and avoid as much as possible night crawling.
“When at the bus stop, they should be careful not to rush into a bus. They need to be on the lookout for the number plate, the colour of the bus and importantly, the number and gender of passengers in the bus. Either they are all male or female and also the sitting arrangement. You know they might deliberately leave a vacant seat where it will be possible to push down their victim after the robbery operation. They do this on motion. The body language of passengers and facial expression is very important.
“Particularly in the festive season. When a bus just appears from the blues and start calling your destination, you must be careful to not rush into it. It could be those passengers that are in the bus are working as a gang, so be careful.
“Also don’t walk alone. Be sure to be in twos or more because if at all there is going to be a robbery, there is tendency that if you shout for help people might hear and come to your rescue.
“So, I implore Lagosians to be careful and extra vigilant in this festive season and be safe as not to fall victim to armed robbery.”
Passengers need training —Expert
Top security expert, Mathew Ibadin, in an interview with Saturday Tribune, called for proper training for members of the public as a way of fighting the one-chance crime.
He said: “To stop one-chance robbery, members of the public need to be trained on security awareness so that they would be conscious of their safety in the choice of vehicles they board.
“When they board any vehicle, they must watch the behaviour of the passengers already in the vehicle. Once they notice any suspicious behaviour they can decide to come down from the vehicle in the next available bus stop.
“The police should also create a mechanism for carrying out regular surveillance on the route or vehicle corridor with a view to arresting suspected one-chance criminals.
“More personnel of the RRS with operational vehicles should be provided with more vehicular barricade on some routes, like the beginning and end of roads like Third Mainland and Lekki to check easy escape of the one-chance robbers.
“The essence of the barricade is to create roadblock that would enable the police to track down the criminals. All entry and exit points in Lagos should have barricade.”
Additional report by LEKAN OLABULO.
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