Traffic Robbers on the Loose
Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that Lagos is now under the siege of traffic robbers who are on the loose and robbing motorists of their valuables despite the presence of police
Like other motorists stuck on the Ijora-Olopa bridge leading to Costain on a certain Wednesday, Mr. Etop Ukutt, THISDAY Photographer, who was heading home from work, what was paramount on his mind was rest. But that was not to be. On getting to a particular portion of the bridge, he met traffic and that was the beginning of his woes.
They had an encounter with men of the underworld, whose specialty is to stalk the roads during traffic snarls and rob their victims of their valuables, sometimes damaging their (motorists) vehicles by smashing the windscreens. Following their continuous reign of terror in Lagos traffic snarls, the 15-man gang of traffic robbers, brutalised and proceeded to rob Ukutt and other motorists, at the Ijora area of the state. Although the robbery incident happened barely 20 metres from the Western Naval Command, 30 metres from the Area B Police Command and the Apapa Police Division, yet no help came. Armed with pistols, axes and machetes, the gang in true gestapo style, had shared themselves to cars stuck in the traffic and robbed them of their valuables.
The robbers held sway at the entire axis for over 30 minutes before they escaped unhindered with their getaway motorbikes, which were stationed at the other side of the road facing Apapa. This accident makes it the second time Ukutt would be robbed by these robbers, although this recent incident was more brutal that the previous one.
At the Mile 2 Bridge where he was first robbed, robbers had accosted him in traffic and in full glare of the police and officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA). The robbers had taken all of the valuables in his vehicle including his work laptop and money, before they disappeared in broad daylight with nobody giving chase to them. Barely recuperating from that attack, he was again last week attacked but this time in a more brutal manner as these set of robbers beat him up with their machetes. Recounting his recent ordeal he said, "I was heading home from work. The drive was hitch-free until I got to that Ijora bridge. There was a little traffic and I was the last car in my queue.
"Suddenly, the driver in front of me made to reverse and he hit me. When I came down to inspect the damage on my bumper, the next thing I felt was this slap on my back. I turned back to know who did that only to see this tall, dark guy. He was holding a machete. He was repeatedly asking me why I tried to run. When I tried to explain that I didn't he kept on beating me with the machete. "By that time, the other gang members had surrounded my car and other cars on that bridge. They were robbing with every impunity. For those that wound up their car windows, they smashed it. The driver next to me was cut up with the machete on the face and blood was gushing out. But did they care? They went on to rob him and the four other passengers in his car.
"Meanwhile, as they were robbing us, other oncoming cars that saw what was happening stopped afar off and so there was a big distance from us to them. After robbing us, they simply moved to the other section of the cars at the other divide. Meanwhile, they had stationed their bikes on the other side of the road facing Apapa.
"Immediately they finished their operations, they crossed to the other side of the road and jumped on their bikes and sped off. While we were still trying to get our bearings and meander out of that place, two policemen on motorbikes with their colleagues passed. We tried to stop them but they refused to stop."
Going by the incessant attacks of these traffic robbers on motorists on Lagos roads, it would be safe to say that the state is currently under siege. But it was not always like this. Lagos was once safe at least from traffic robbers and motorists moved about without fear of being accosted. Although that was not to say that there were no incidents of crime, it was however not on this level that is being witnessed now. In 2014, a review by Travel Start, an online tourist blog, had adjudged Lagos as the safest city in Nigeria and in the African continent.
So what went wrong? Now, the traffic robbers live large and they throng the roads without fear of being challenged. In gestapo style, they storm the roads, rob motorists and disappear in a flash. Welcome to the Lagos of today.
Flash Points for Traffic Robbers Although no specific area is particularly safe, there are however well established flash points or black spots where these bunch of brigands ply their nefarious trade. Areas like Ijora, Mile 2, Costain, Third Mainland Bridge, Mushin, Obalende, CMS, have been constantly riddled with these traffic robbers, who sometimes smash the windscreens of motorists and make away with their valuables.
Other black spot include places like Oshodi, Agege, Jibowu, Victoria Island, Ajegunle, Ijora, Law school under Bridge, Ketu, Badagry Expressway, Apongbon end of Eko Bridge, the entire stretch of Maza-Maza all the way to Agboju market, Iyana-Oba, Coker, Sanya bus stop and Alaba Express, as well as some other places.
One Robbery Too Many Old habits they say never die and rings true for the traffic robbers that have taken over Lagos. For the discerning, the mere mention of traffic snarls on Lagos roads, is a call to caution and security consciousness whether in the night or day.
It is now a case of back to the old order as these brigand of criminally minded individuals have started unleashing their brand of terror on many motorists. Many motorists who spoke to THSDAY called on the government to come to their aid, stressing that the tales of traffic robbery has become one too many.
They lamented that all these robberies happen despite the presence of the police.
At the Mile 2 area, one Femi Adesuyi, was robbed by these traffic robbers when he had a flat tire. Recounting his ordeal he said, "My tire had issues and I was trying to fix it when I was accosted. I thought the police will come to my aid because theie vehicle is always stationed there, but they didn't."
Barely days after that, another robbery incident happened on that same Mile 2 Bridge when the daredevils attacked a woman in her car. Taking advantage of the constant traffic snarl in the area, the robbers had broken her car window and robbed her in traffic in broad daylight.
Also speaking to THISDAY about his experience at the Mile 2 area of the state, Sam Egbuna, another motorist, said he was robbed right in front of other passengers one hot afternoon and no help came.
He said, "I was driving from Cele and was headed to Orile. I took the service road on the Mile 2 bridge in order to navigate to the turn that would take me to under the bridge and then head towards Orile. As usual, there was traffic on that bridge caused by the number of vehicles under the bridge coming from Okokomaiko and Maza-Maza.
"While we were in traffic, about four boys approached my vehicle because my windows were wound down. I had no choice but to
Although no specific area is particularly safe, there are however well established flash points or black spots where these bunch of brigands ply their nefarious trade, by smashing windscreens of motorists and making away with their valuables