PEOPLE ON THE ISLAND NOW LEAVES IN FEAR
OVER CONSTANT ROBBERY INCIDENTS
The recent deadly robbery incident in
Lagos has brought to the fore the silent pains of some residents who had lately
been faced with security challenges.
Although many would agree that the
relative peace of the state was disrupted by the incident that left six persons
dead and some others robbed of their goods and cash, however, some residents,
particularly in and around Victoria Island, Agungi and the many estates along
Lekki-Epe Expressway, expressed no surprise at the development.
Some of the residents said that they
had endured terrifying experience with armed robbers in neighbourhoods and on
the highways for a while, prior to the recent deadly attacks across Lagos, but
were not taken seriously by the government and the police.
Therefore, police failure to curb the
trend has been blamed for the chaos that unfolded across the state on September
9.
"It only shows that the robbers
have grown in confidence," said a victim of an armed robbery incident in
his Victoria Island residence, three weeks ago.
Raid on Lagos Islands
In the ordeal that lasted about an
hour, the victim said he lost some cash and gadgets to the AK-47-wielding gang.
About two months ago, a Diamond Bank
Plc Director was reportedly robbed at Oniru estate in Victoria Island, where
two ladies were also said to have been raped by a suspected robbery gang.
Just last month, the remains of a
robber, who was reportedly part of a gang that had brazenly attacked and killed
two officers of the State Security Service (SSS) at an Alpha Beach hotel, made
a spectacle at the Ilasan Police Station, Jakande, where he was taken
afterwards.
Mohammed, an eyewitness working around
the police station, said the rest of the armed robbery gang escaped following a
shoot-out with some police officers on patrol. He also noted that reported
cases of carjacking had been on the increase around Victoria Island and Lekki.
In May, Adaure Achumba, journalist and
blogger, along with her friend, were robbed of their cash and phones at gun
point while having a ride around Victoria Island.
Describing their mixed experience with
the police afterward, Adaure said that some officers were uncooperative, while
those eager to assist were ill-equipped to coordinate an effective chase, even
while her phone's tracking device displayed the robbers' movement.
"As I reached deep inside me for
my survival skills, the guy with the gun kept running towards us and pointing
the gun," she said, narrating her ordeal.
Such has, however, been the lot of some
residents in these so-called rich neighbourhoods of Lekki, Ajah, Ikoyi and
Victoria Island, with many now living in fear of being killed, robbed,
assaulted or raped in their own homes.
Investigations also revealed that many
of the car thefts have been occurring in the night, to residents nightclubbing
or returning from work late.
A recent victim, who did not want his
name published, noted that many victims are afraid to share their experience
with anybody, particularly with the press and the police. Victims, according to
him, are scared to have their faces or names on TV or in print, lest they get
another visit from their assailants.
"It's also a problem when the
police are not in a position to help you or respond to where robbers are within
20 minutes, you cut your losses and move on," he added.
Security concerns
Even though the Lekki Scheme 1
Residents' Association said the spate of robbery incidents within the estate
had reduced, Peter Taiwo, a member of its Environmental Taskforce identified a
major threat to security in the greater Lekki area.
Lekki area is largely at a
developmental stage, with reconstruction and new structures of various land
uses springing up, almost by the day.
Taiwo said enough attention had not
paid to the "kind of people that the construction efforts are
drawing" to the estates, such as bricklayers, welders, among others.
According to him, checking the activities of such people, some of who squat in
all kinds of places within the estate, could close some of the existing
security loopholes.
He added that the residents'
association he belonged to were already considering controlling the influx of
people into the estate "by reintroducing the Lekki Residents' Sticker
Programme" and providing labourers working in the estate with
identification badges.
"This will control and monitor new
construction and reconstruction -- to know the labourers to work on a site and
to monitor them accordingly," he said. "If their work extends beyond
six months, the badges will have to be renewed."
However, some other residents have
called for the closure of neighbourhood nightclubs, describing them as
incompatible with residential areas. They argued that the proliferation of
nightclubs in and around residential neighbourhoods in the state would present
a good cover for robbers at night, suggesting that such clubs be restricted to
commercial avenues.
A resident, Akeem Oladeji, who
expressed displeasure with the situation, said improvement on security hinged
on keeping nightclubs off residential areas.
"With the nightclubs,"
Oladeji said, "robbers can hide their heads and still perpetrate all the
evil they want."
In her reaction, Ngozi Braide, state
police command spokesperson, denied knowledge of robbery incidents around Lekki
area, saying that the police were not "informed or aware of it."
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