Magboro residents decry high rate of crime

RESIDENTS of Magboro/akeran area of Ogun State have blamed the police for ineptitude and lack of commitment to solving increasing rate of robbery, cultism and other criminal activities in the area. They alleged that the police benefit from the activities of hoodlums and street urchins in the community.

One of the residents, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “Magboro-akeran Town has been a peaceful abode to all, but the influx of residents from Lagos to the area has turned the once sleeping community into a busy town of sort.

“The rapid growth in population and the total change in land use within this community since 2000 have been very drastic. As a result of this development, communities within the town have been experiencing various activities of cultism, burglary, robbery and other criminal activities.

“In fact, there is little or no presence of law enforcement agencies like the police and their nonchalance to cases reported at their station at Ibafo have become a serious concern for residents of Magboro-akeran.”

Another resident of Magboro-akeran said they daily live in perpetual fear. “People can no longer travel to their places of work in Lagos especially on Tuesday and Thursday mornings without the fear that their homes would not have been burgled before their return. There are also many illicit drinking and hub centers where scary-looking men come around to smoke marijuana and perpetuate all vices all through the day around Ojuolape, Sawmill, Omoolope, Olojo, Giwa junction, Baba Elewedu road and environs.

“This situation has become worrisome and reports have been taken to the Ibafo police station but no satisfactory response has been achieved, instead the activities of hoodlums keep increasing,” he added.