By Akinwale Kasali
There was pandemonium in Agege, as armed robbers stormed Orile Agege, Oke Koto, Sofunde, Ogba and Alimosho Local Government residents, dispossesing them of their money, food stuffs and properties. And, they, also, raped women.
In what looked liked a planned and well cordinated operation they raided many parts of Lagos State, unleashing terror on the residents.
There were sporadic shootings to scare residents and make them jittery. They entered the homes of their victims, dispossesing them of cash, jewelries and phones, while some ladies were raped.
The robbers invaded these areas in large numbers and are within the age bracket of 18-23 years of age.
Some residents complained bitterly about the lackadaisical approach of men of the Police, who were called upon, but failed to show up until after about an hour, when the robbers had carted away their loots.
Residents who took to social media to draw public attention to the onslaught said the robbers looted food stores and warehouses in the areas and, in some cases, where the residents had nothing of value to be stolen, the robbers raped women and young girls.
“They came in at about 7pm this night with about 30 okadas and 10 buses,” a resident who lives in Cement around Mangoro told the magazine.
“Many houses and food shops have been robbed. In fact, they also broke into some warehouses here and stole items.”
In Mangoro, another resident said they attacked people on the streets, snatching purses and phones.
“Nowhere is safe in the area now. Those that were on the streets were attacked and they collected their bags and purses. They also broke into houses and robbed people of their valuables.”
After the robbers carried out this onslaught, youths within Agege, reinforced to face them.
The youths in the area were said to have come together to forestall future occurrence by keeping vigil and making bonfires on the streets.
“We know they have been operating in nearby streets, but we won’t allow them to get into our streets. We will keep a night over this fire,” one of them said.
In a video that went viral on social media, a woman who is resident at Òkè koto in Agege was heard calling for the intervention of the police and lampooning government for leaving them at the mercy of the robbers despite complying with the lockdown directive.
She said “We are no more safe in Agege. From Oke koto, Agunbiade, Ayanwale to Pen Cinema. We need help; we’ve called the police but no response,” she said.
“For the past one hour, no one has come to our rescue. What kind of country is this? They isolated us without any provision. Our lives are not secure. These boys have entered into out houses, over 100 of them. They have been robbing for over one hour.”
The Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Bala Elkanah, confirmed the attack, saying the Police are working tirelessly to make the Staff, and are bent on protecting lives and properties of Lagosians.
He, however, cautioned Lagosians to stop those making bonfires on roads and their environment, as this will cause panic in the areas.
“We have sent our Rapid Response Squad there, and what we discover are youths of those areas stepping out in the name of protecting their areas from hoodlums coming in.
“Burning tyres in the name of securing, and this, on its own is creating panic. We have sent a strong message, the order is stay at home. Everybody must stay at home. We have enough deployment all this while. We are not under any threat. Those youths are looking for an opportunity to be out of the house, so they are creating panic. There is adequate police patrol in the areas”, he said.
Elkanah’s statement that there is adequate Police Patrol in all areas of the State do not augur with residents of these areas, who said the presence of the Police is not felt in the areas.
They alleged that the Police have not been proactive in responding to distress calls, that the people have decided to defend themselves, and not relying on the Police.
“The Police have failed in their responsibility to protect us, we have resolve to self defense, we cannot allow some miscreants to dispossess us of our belongings. We are all in this together, and can’t wait to be overridden”, a resident stated.
