Woman, 48, robbed in ‘one-chance’ car

A 48-year old woman, Mrs Obeten Janet has been robbed in an unpainted Toyota car which had few other passengers in Calabar.

In recent weeks, robbers have resumed their criminal activities of using unpainted cars as taxis to dupe and violently dispossess residents of their money and possessions.

Mrs Janet, a cleaner at the Government House in Calabar who also hawks confectionery to complement her income said she left her house in the Ikot Ishie area of Calabar Municipality to Watt market, a distance of about 10 kilometres, to buy ingredients for her bakery business and also buy food for the family.

“I boarded the Toyota car on the Murtala Mohammed highway Calabar. There were other occupants in their car already when I flagged it down. I sat in front next to the driver. He was driving slowly. He picked another ‘passenger’ few minutes after I boarded the car.

“As we drove on he asked me what I was going to Watt market to do, and how much I had. When he asked how much, something touched me and I suddenly became afraid. I had N25,000 inside my handbag, my entire business money. I said how the amount I was taking to the market should concern him! It dawned on me that all the ‘passengers’ were a gang.

“The man that was picked after me brought out a knife, and forcefully collected my handbag, searched it and collected the money. I only begged them to give me my phone, which they did.

“All this while bystanders did not take cognisance of what was going on inside the car. They now stopped the car at a lonely place on the highway not far from the state secretariat, and asked me to jump out.”

The command had busted the gang which had female members.

Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Irene Ugbo said they have stepped up strategies to pick up the one chance ‘taxi’ operators in the city.

She cautioned residents to be wary of the type of cars they board.