LAGOS, Nigeria – Residents of Lagos have expressed growing concern over what appears to be a rise in armed robbery cases on the city’s streets and roads.
Recent frequent raids have been reported on several streets, such as Lawani Street, off Ishaga Road, Surulere, where armed robbers reportedly stole cash and property on the night of July 18, 2023.
Residents now report that such robbery cases are increasingly occurring on roads, including during daylight hours.
“They robbed the (Surulere) area that week and the week after it,” said Biodun, a local resident.
Meanwhile, a resident in the Abule Egba area, Juwon, shared his experience of being accosted and robbed by knife-wielding hoodlums who subsequently drained his bank account.
“I was returning from the Afrikan Shrine where I attended Seun Kuti’s show last week. But in the morning when we returned, I alighted from a tricycle when some boys in the area accosted me. They took my Tecno phone. They both had knives. It was around 7am. Before I got to the bank that day, I discovered that N27,000 in my account had gone,” Juwon disclosed.
In the Akowonjo-Egbeda area of Alimosho Local Government Area, residents stated that robbers invaded houses in July 13, 2023, making away with cash and property.
A trader who identified as Mama Sarumi reported that the robbers arrived around 2 am and shot indiscriminately.
Many residents are calling for increased police presence and security measures to combat the surge in robberies.
The local police force has yet to state these rising concerns officially.
3 Bingham University Students Arrested in Murder of Abuja Bolt Driver
Three students from Bingham University, Nasarawa, have been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a Bolt cab driver in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, FCT, according to local authorities.
Obasi Okeke, the deceased driver, was found on June 5th in a pool of his own blood, his throat slit, on Ngugu Close, Area 11, Garki, Abuja.
Haruna Garba, FCT Commissioner of Police, announced during a media briefing on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
Commissioner Garba stated, “On June 5th, 2023, at about 2130 hours, one Obasi Okeke, the bolt driver, was discovered lying in his pool of blood with a slit throat at Ngugu Close Area 11 Garki Abuja. A thorough investigation to ascertain the author of this dastardly act led to the arrest of the three suspects namely Obasieyene Inemesit Inem, Aaron Anthony and Alasan Ayomide Olusegun.”
According to police, Okeke was called by one of the suspects to drive them to the Guzape area of Abuja. When they returned to their original location, the trio, two currently suspended from their university, attempted to deceive Okeke with a counterfeit debit alert as payment for the ride. When Okeke refused, insisting he had not received the payment, an argument ended in his fatal stabbing.
“The three suspects have since confessed to the crime and will be charged to court soon,” Commissioner Garba added.
In a separate incident, the FCT Police Command reported the arrest of a scavenger suspected of kidnapping a three-year-old boy in the Nyanya area of Abuja.
Commissioner Garba explained, “The suspect had lured the boy. When he was going with him with the full complements of his scavenging materials, he was suspected and about to be lynched by angry mobs at area ‘B’ Nyanya. During the investigation, the suspect confessed to the crime and mentioned one Abba as his accomplice who engaged him to look for a boy for him.”
The boy was safely returned to his parents, and the suspect and his named accomplice are expected to face charges soon.
These incidents highlight a concerning surge of violence and crime in Nigeria’s capital, prompting urgent calls for heightened security measures and stricter law enforcement.
