Residents decry onslaught of traffic robbers, cultists, urge governor to swing into action

Olamide Iwayemi is still very shaken and in disbelief, a week after he, along with his wife were attacked and robbed in front of their estate in Lagos.

He told The Guardian that they were coming from church around 8 pm and just dropped off by a church member at the estate gate off Okota road, waiting to cross the busy road when a commercial motorcycle parked beside him.

“I thought the passenger(s) wanted to disembark, but to our shock, the two of them got down and showed us a cutlass and a gun, telling me to bring my phone and my wife’s bag.

“I tried to fight them and was already succeeding when the other person faced my wife, hitting her hand with the cutlass. I had to plead with them to take the bag and just go before they killed her, which they could easily have done. Nobody came to our aid, despite how loudly we were screaming.

Arrested traffic robbers

“That time, these miscreants in their numbers descended on us while we were in the gridlock, smashing windows and grabbing valuables in the early evening. The Police and traffic wardens that usually hang around there all disappeared and we were left to face them on our own.

“I am tired of getting robbed every couple of months; we are not safe on the roads, we are not safe in our homes, we are not safe everywhere. Insecurity is so rife and the government doesn’t seem to be bothered much about this situation,” he lamented bitterly.

Oyinkansola Adeiye, another victim of traffic and road robberies, said the situation is making her consider relocation.

She recalled: “Interview 10 people and you would discover that at least nine have been robbed in the last couple of months, either in traffic gridlock, walking on the road, their places of business or at home.

“After my sister was robbed for the second time in her shop, she was forced to close down, because she hadn’t even recovered from the first robbery when she was attacked the second time.

Arrested traffic robbers

Everyday on social media, there are reports of robberies, cultist attacks and kidnapping for ransom, especially in highbrow areas.

Last Wednesday night, cultists had a free for at Adedeji in the Itire area of Lagos, which soon degenerated into robbery.

Arrested traffic robbers

“Before I leave for home every night, I have to call ahead and ask if the boys have started again. What kind of life is this? The Police have abandoned us because no matter how we call them, they don’t listen to us.”

Between last Wednesday and Thursday, there was a bloody fight between rival cult groups in Gberigbe area of Ikorodu, where miscreants quickly took over, robbing and extorting passersby and residents.

Speaking with The Guardian, a resident, Abiodun Adeboye, lamented that cult activities have become a bone in their throat, defying all solutions, saying: “Those boys have taken over almost the whole of Ikorodu, operating without fear of repercussion.

“I think at this point, the Police are overwhelmed by the situation because it is almost a weekly affair now. The whole of Ikorodu is so unsafe; you cannot come out early in the morning or late at night for fear of being robbed, which has become so rampant.

“The whole of Ketu/Mile 12, inward Ikorodu, is a hotbed for criminals and traffic robbers, who smash your car glass and rob you carefully and nobody will come to your aid. They snatch phones and stroll away gently into the night, assured that nobody will come after them.

“They have even started robbing in broad daylight now. I don’t know what the governor is doing about this situation, because Lagos is now completely unsafe and we are all living on the edge.”

On Thursday morning, there was civil unrest in Oshodi, as miscreants took over the area, causing mayhem and forcing residents and road users to scamper for safety.

There were rumours that a Nigeria Air Force (NAF) personnel were killed on Monday, leading to a face-off between military personnel and hoodlums in the Mosafejo area. This forced bus drivers to abandon their vehicles and shop owners, their businesses, as the hoodlums looted shops, destroyed vehicles and robbed passersby.

It was, however, gathered issue was unrelated to the killing of the military personnel, who was wearing plain clothes.

Robbery and violence are not new to Oshodi, as it is notorious for such and other criminal activities, including violent attacks, extortion, molestation, thuggery and cult activities.

“The fear of Oshodi is the beginning of wisdom for many Lagosians,” said Abayomi Okeowo, an entrepreneur in Lagos. “Every day, I pray not to find myself in Oshodi, especially at night when there is traffic, because nine out of 10 times, you will be robbed.

“I cannot count how many times I have been robbed in Oshodi, on top of the bridge, under the bridge, at the Cappa side and Arena side. I have become their ‘regular customer,’ so I have decided to stay away from that axis completely.

“If your car breaks down around there, it is over for you, because you would be robbed; you cannot escape it. Police used to stay on the bridge as you turn to link Agege Motor road before and around Isale/Step side and things were slightly better then.

“But now, the miscreants and robbers have taken over Oshodi again and anything that happens to you there, you are on your own.”

Nkiru Okoye also lamented Oshodi, which was reformed a few years ago, has gone back to its terrible days, adding: “There was a time those boys were chased away and sanity was restored to Oshodi. It was well lit and people could move freely again, but all that is a thing of the past now, as the area has become very unsafe.

“I am always afraid, as a woman, driving there, because we are usually seen as easy targets for those traffic robbers. How can you have groups of rough-looking boys just gathered around and sitting, doing nothing all day and you as the government doesn’t realise that it is a recipe for disaster?

“When they sit around all day doing nothing, what do you think they do at night if not robbery? The government and other politicians don’t seem bothered about the sharp rise in insecurity, because they have personal security and escorts guarding them. But what happens to us taxpayers? Should we be abandoned to the mercy of these robbers, cultists, criminals and kidnappers because we are not politicians or rich people?

“I am calling on the governor to, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on insecurity in Lagos State, because the situation has gotten out of hand.”

A Police officer in Isolo/Okota area, who didn’t want his name in print, said they are aware of the rising insecurity, but there was little they could do.

“We are afraid for our own lives too. As you are not safe, we too don’t feel safe. We don’t have enough tools to fight these robbers and nobody wants to die an untimely death.

“If you go out around 8 or 9 pm in this axis, you would be hard-pressed to find an officer on duty, because we too are afraid. Don’t even bother coming to the station here to report anything, because nobody will answer you.

“I have several items in my car and home for my self-protection, but as for the rest of you, God is your protection, because we cannot do anything for you. All our morale and most of our powers have been taken away and if the government is serious about securing this state, they know what to,” he stated.