Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
July 31, 2015 – Robbers are currently having a field day in Lagos State, robbing and dispossessing drivers and passengers of valuable items in traffic, forcing commuters to call on the Lagos State Government to beef up security to protect lives and property in the state.
Incidents of robbery in traffic went up in Lagos shortly after May 29, 2015 and we gathered that incidents of this nature are daily occurrence in traffic in places like Ojota, Pen Cinema, Opongbon, Eko Bridge, Surulere, Iyanaovoro, Alapere , Abule Egba and other areas in Lagos.
Narrating their ordeal about the robbers, Mrs. Esther Komolafe who works as civil servant in Lagos said she was disposed of her handbag in traffic at Abule –Egba, Lagos.
Aloke who was driving and was on alone in the traffic said she placed her band bag on the floor in the back seat adding that two of the robbers were involved in the incident. According to her, while one of them distracted her by hitting her car in a hurried manner, the other took advantage of the distraction to take the handbag from the other end.
“One of them was hitting the car with his two hands as I turned to intervene it was during the process that the other person took the hand bag. I did not know until I wanted to call my husband when I discovered that my handbag was gone”, she narrated, adding that at least N18,000 she withdrew was in the handbag as well as several ATM cards and her Identity card.
Also narrating her ordeal, another lady, Ijeoma Aloke who works as banker on the Island said the side glass of her vehicle was smashed at gun point twice in one month at Eko Bridge on her way home at about 8PM.
She said that the robbers intimidated her with a shot gun in traffic and smashed her window glass when she refused to wind down before dispossessing her of valuables.
Chucks Okafor , a Lagos journalists told our correspondent that the rubbers of make ladies whom they see a weaker sex their target. “ A group of them approached our vehicle when we were driving home but when they approached and discovered that we were all guys they left for other vehicles in the traffic. I had this experience at Alaka area in Surulere. Another journalist also told our correspondent of ab similar incident at Ikeja, just before Guinness on his way to Agege.
“I saw how they snatched the handbag from a lady who was driving herself. I could have knocked down the fellow if I wanted to”, the journalists said.
