Fear has gripped the people living in Onimaba, College Bus Stop, Ikotun Road, Igando, Lagos since the early hours of Thursday,October 23, 2014, when copies of letters on A4 papers allegedly written by armed robbers hit the streets.
About 20 copies of the letter were said to have been picked up from streets such as Lateef Bello, Ogunbewon, Taiwo Adediran, and Alhaji Hamzat, Punch reports.
The association of landlords in the area were said to have intimated the Igando Police division about the development.
The copy of the letter released by the residents on the afternoon of Friday by some journalists reads, “Be prepared, be prepared, be prepared. Our dues must be paid this festive season. Nobody can stop us as we can strike at any time. Only enough money can save your life.
“To be forewarned is to be fore-harmed. We have warned you in this area, and if you have ears, you ought to hear.”
One of the landlords in the area who spoke on the grounds of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter disclosed that the letter was also sent to neighbouring areas such as Pako and Irepodun.
He said, “On Thursday morning, around 4.30am when people normally start to go to work, we noticed the papers scattered on our streets. Some unknown persons, no doubt, had dumped the letter overnight in the area.
“We have about 18 streets in the area. When we saw it, we called on our CDA chairman, Alhaji Sarumi, who in turn called on the police at Igando.”
Also speaking was a second landlord, simply identified himself as Alhaji Lawal, said, “The threat letter is very disturbing. The last time we had a robbery incident in this area was about six months ago. At that time, they came in through the compound of Igando Local Government Primary School, and escaped through Potoku, an unfenced canal at an end of our street. Potoku Canal reaches all the way to Lagos State University Road, Igando.
“We are calling on the police to intensify efforts in securing our area. We want the Area Commander, Area M Idimu, and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad to beam their searchlight on our areas.”
The spokesman of the Lagos State Police, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, disclosed that they were yet to get a report from the residents about the incident urging the public to always disclose any relevant information to help them secure lives and property.
He said, “The incident has not been reported to the Igando Police Division. However, if the residents have received such letter, let them bring it to the police. If there is such information, we will do well to ensure we deploy enough personnel in the area. The responsibility of the police is to ensure safety of lives and property in the state.”
