It was a night of terror for residents of Popoola and Ore-ofe Streets, in Bariga area of Lagos State when group of dare devil robbers invaded the area during the Eid-el Fitri celebration on Monday, July 28, 2014.
According to reports, the robber stormed the area around 2 am on Monday morning and did not leave until after three hours of inflicting pains to residents in the area.
The robbers were not in any way affected by the rain as they went up and down the streets, smashing vehicles’ windscreen, destroying property and breaking into shops.
The robbery gang which was made up of 25 able bodied men stabbed at least three residents during the raid.
One of the victims, a 25-year-old who was stabbed in the head and back was rushed to a private hospital in the area for treatment.
One of the residents popularly known as Iya Bukola, said, “The robbers burgled shops. We were caught unawares because of the Eid-el Fitri celebration.
“I didn’t leave my supermarket till 9 pm when I closed for the day. All through the night, we could not sleep as the robbers went from house to house. They did not touch some houses where they knew the security was tight and where they could be caught.
“I first thought I had escaped. But when I got to the supermarket in the morning, everywhere was scattered. They forced their way in and carted away most of the valuables.”
Another resident of the area disclosed that, “The robbers got to our house around 4 a.m. About four of them entered the building and we could hear the voices of several others on the road.
“Threatening to kill whoever did not ‘cooperate’ with them, they stole everything — money, phones, laptops, and other valuables.
“The most agonizing thing was that they began to machete the resident. My neighbour, a 25-year-old man, was unlucky, as he sustained injury in his head and back. He was bleeding all over when they left. We quickly rushed him to a private hospital at dawn to save his life.”
However some of the residents were angry that even when policemen from Pedro Police Division were contacted during the robbery, they refused to show up early to save them.
Police sources claimed they had gotten to the scene immediately they were notified.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach the Lagos state police public relations officer, Ngozi Braide, through a phone call was unsuccessful, as her phone lines were unanswered.
