Nigerians
are still in shock following the ordeal of 42 pupils of Holy Rosary
College, Enugu, Enugu State. The pupils were attacked by armed robbers
and some of them were allegedly raped after the luxury bus conveying
them to Lagos broke down at Ogbere area of Ogun State about 11.30pm on
Saturday.
The incident further confirmed the fear of those plying the Sagamu-Benin
Expressway that the road had become a den of armed robbers. Equally dangerous is the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. To many motorists and commuters, plying the roads is like “walking through the valley of the shadow of death.”
Expressway that the road had become a den of armed robbers. Equally dangerous is the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. To many motorists and commuters, plying the roads is like “walking through the valley of the shadow of death.”
Although
there are no available records on the numbers of robberies and cases of
missing persons recorded on the roads, many of the residents of the
area told PUNCH Metro that such cases are common.
Armed robbers in police uniforms
Mr.
Bola Adeko, 70, has lived most of his life with his family in the
United Kingdom. At his age, he thought it wise to return home. But
barely four weeks after arriving Nigeria, Adeko, who was with two other
occupants in a metallic brown 4matic Mercedes 430, with number plate JM
251 EKY, was flagged dow by a group of policemen at the Ososa Junction,
Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
As
a law abiding citizen, he instructed his driver to slow down. But
unfortunately, the men in police uniforms were armed robbers.
Adeko
said, “The incident happened on February 6, 2012¸at Ososa Junction. We
were coming from Ijebu Ode. There were three of us in the vehicle:
Myself, my younger brother and the driver. We thought they were
policemen because whenever I am in Nigeria, I passed that route quite
often and I had seen policemen at that junction.
“We
were shocked. They took all our phones, money and some documents. They
ordered us out of the vehicle and asked us to lie down on the ground. We
were thoroughly beaten. That experience was shocking. They threatened
to kill us and went away with the vehicle.
“We
reported the matter at the Odogbolu Police Division and in our
presence, they radioed some police divisions but up till now, the
vehicle has not been found.”
Asked
if he would still go ahead to finally relocate to Nigeria, Adeko, who
spoke with one of our correspondents on the telephone, said although he
had no other option than to relocate, the incident was discouraging.
A
regular commuter on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ireti Akinsanya, said,
“Members of my church in Ogere along the expressway have continued to
fall victim to armed robbers. In January, armed robbers in police
uniforms went on the rampage.
“Our
vehicles almost ran into them. Immediately our driver got the
information, everyone on board abandoned the bus and ran into the bush.
Some of my church members were, however, unlucky as they ran into the
robbers and were dispossessed of their belongings.”
Eyewitness accounts
Robberies
are also common along the notorious Warewa Bridge, the Oyo end of the
expressway, and Onigarri end of the road at night.
Mr.
Taiwo Oyefusi, a cab driver that plies the Ketu-Ibafo route regularly,
said, “I have witnessed three robberies around Onigarri end of the
expressway this year alone. Some of my colleagues have even been victims
of armed robbers.
“Onigarri is at the border point of Oyo and Ogun states and as such one will expect more security there but there is none.”
Oyefusi
said the bandits usually operate on motorcycles, wielding locally-made
guns and dispossessing motorists of their valuables.
Mrs. Aramide Olayinka, who once escaped being robbed around Ogere, said the hoodlums operated around 12 noon.
“I think the robberies are more on the weekends when more people are travelling for one event of the other,” he said.
A
commercial motorcycle rider in Ogere town, who identified himself
simply as Kunle, believed the robbers were working in conjunction with
miscreants at the Ogere Trailer Park.
“Miscreants
residing in that trailer park have at one time or the other been
arrested for various armed robberies in the area. I think the police
should swing into action and investigate the activities of the hoodlums
at the park,” he said.
One
of our correspondents, who visited Sagamu, Ogun State, learnt that many
residents of the area, especially, commercial bus drivers who ply the
expressway regularly, had lost valuables to robbers around the Sagamu
interchange on many occasions.
Some of the residents, who spoke with PUNCH Metro, lamented that the robbers had taken advantage of the fact that there were no regular police patrol in the area.
A
commercial bus driver, Jamiu Fijabi, said his only prayer whenever he
loaded passengers from Sagamu to Lagos was protection against armed
robbers.
“Our greatest fear on the expressway is armed robbery. Commercial bus drivers have been attacked many times,” he said.
Another
commercial bus driver, however, had a more sordid story to tell. The
driver, Oladiti Gbenga, said his vehicle was once ambushed by about five
armed robbers close to the Sagamu interchange.
He
said, “The robbers caught us unawares because they came out of the
forest close to us. So, we did not have enough time to get out of the
bus and run into the bush.
“They
threatened to kill us if we didn’t bring out everything we had on us.
That day, I lost N40,000 that I wanted to use to purchase a windscreen
and other vehicle parts in Lagos. Other passengers lost all valuables
they had on them that day too.”
A resident of Sagamu, Kola Igbodofo, told PUNCH Metro,
“In every robbery incident around here, we always learn that the police
would get to the scene after the robbers had long gone. Maybe they
don’t have enough vehicles to combat the armed robbers.”
When
our correspondent visited the Sagamu Area Command of the Ogun State
Police Command, an Armoured Personnel Carrier and a patrol vehicle were
noticed on the premises.
But the area commander was said to be away on a course. None of the policemen on duty was willing to speak on record.
Strategies used by armed robbers
A
police source confirmed that the spate of robberies and kidnapping on
the Sagamu-Benin Expressway, especially between Odogbolu and Ikenne were
on the increase.
He
said, “In February, there was a robbery around Ogere and when the Area
Commander was alerted, we immediately went there and arrest some of the
bandits.
“Not
up to two hours after we left, we received another distress call that
robbery was going on again. So, we had to go there and make a pin-down
point in the area so as to prevent the bandits from coming back.
“When some people went to investigate, it was discovered that the bandits, who usually operate and escape onokada, had created a path in the bush for easy escape.”
The
police source said the robbers used tree branches, onion or tomato
baskets and other objects to obstruct the road so that motorists would
be forced to slow down, giving the thugs the opportunity to attack their
victims.
He
said the robbers also loitered around bad spots on the roads and
advised motorists not be to distracted when they got to such spots.
Lack of equipment, logistics bane of the police
A
senior police officer attached to the Ogere-Remo Division, who
preferred anonymity, said the police had been unable to curtail the
incessant robberies due to logistical problems.
He
said, “The Ogere Police Division has been trying all it can to combat
these incessant robberies. But we are constrained by some factors. In
this division, we don’t have a single patrol vehicle.
“The
armed robbers destroyed one of the vehicles when we engaged them in a
gun duel. Another one had an accident while the one donated to us by the
community is faulty. We are at present looking up to the Ikenne Local
Government authorities to repair it for us.
The
Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, Mrs. Bisi Okwuobi,
denied the allegation that the police could be aiding crime on the
highway so as to bring roadblocks back.
She
said, “The police authorities will not condone a thing of such. We are
committed to ensuring safety and security of life and property. It is
just that most times we contend with problem of logistics. We want
support from the state government in our efforts to stem crimes.
“It
will baffle you that when our men go on patrol they sometimes have
problems fuelling their vehicles and this reduces the rate at which they
work most times.”
An appeal to the police
A
commercial driver, Mr. Toye Olaore, who spoke with one of our
correspondents in Ibadan on Wednesday on the issue, called on the state
police command to rise to the challenge.
He
said, “Some people even believe that the police could be involved in
the robberies just to make a case for the return of roadblocks.
“We
want to appeal to the police authorities to ensure adequate security
especially on the highways for the safety of travellers and road
workers.”
IG’s strategy to combat highway robberies
The
spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi,
said robberies along the expressways within state would soon be a thing
of the past.
Adejobi
said the roads had been divided into segments each of which was being
patrolled by policemen and headed by a senior police officer.
He
said, “We have divided the expressway into segments. There are police
patrol teams per four kilometres interval and each patrol team will be
manned by an assistant superintendent of police and in the event that
anything goes wrong, the team whose area of patrol is affected will be
held responsible.
“The
teams will man the two major expressways; the Sagamu-Begin Expressway
and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. We are deploying anti-robbery policemen
in all these areas and we have ordered all Divisional Police Officers
whose divisions are along the expressways to be on the road as sitting
down in the office will no longer be allowed.”
Punch NG
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