By Akinwale Kasali
For bad boys, the stay-at-home order does not matter. And Security personnel who harrass citizens, even during the hours of reprieve, as stipulated by Government, are either helpless, or asleep.
It was a day of terror, pain, anguish and sadness for residents of Lagos and Ogun State as armed robbers stormed the Abule Egba, Kola, Alakuko, Ajah, Badore, Jankara, Sango, Adiyan-Gasline, Langbasa, Clem Road, Agbado, Adura, Fagba and other environs within Lagos State, dispossessing residents of their properties, money, food stuffs and valuables.
The robbers, who came in a large number, numbering over 40 stormed these areas in broad day light, brandishing deadly weapons to scare residents.
The boys unleashing this mayhem are said to be of a Cult Groups called ‘Awawa, Millions Boys and Kesari Boys’. They went from house to house in these areas robbing residents.
In the process, two landlords were killed in Kola, Alakuko area, forcing the youths in the areas to team up to lay ambush, for the rampaging robbers.
They overpowered the robbers who ran for safety after dispossessing some residents of money and other valuables.
Unfortunately for the thieves, four of them were caught and beaten to a pulp, before men of the Lagos State Police Command and officers of the Lagos Neighborhood Corps, LSNC, arrived the scene, whisking the criminals away.
It was a different ball game entirely in Ajah, as residents of Langbasa, Badore, Illaje area were robbed by hoodlums and armed bandits who stormed the houses of residents, robbing them of their valuables and money.
The robbers said to be numbering over 20, took to different streets in the area, moving from one house to the other perpetrating their heinous crime.
In another twist of event in Ajah on Saturday, pandemonium erupted as hoodlums unleashed terror on the riverine community burning buildings and shops.
The magazine gathered that the crisis which started like a friendly disagreement was between Ajah indigenes and Ilaje settlers over the control of dredging sites.
No fewer than 70 shops were reported to have been set ablaze by the gangsters who brandished sophisticated weapons and ammunition.
Due to the Coronavirus-induced lockdown that crippled business activities, touts selling tickets for motorcyclists and tricyclists, working in consonant with some gangsters, are terrorizing the community.
“It’s not today this started. We live amongst them with fear. The police too know them. And they are very notorious”, a resident confided in the magazine.
It is alleged that the bandits usually kill people after dispossessing them of money and their valuables. They also throw members of rival groups into the lagoon when there is a rift or face off among them.
The intervention of Policemen attached to Area J Police Command brought sanity to the area after making several arrests.
In Ogun State, which shares border with Lagos State, it was the same story, as fierce looking robbers stormed the State, unleashing terror on residents.
For days now, it has been sleepless nights for residents of Aderemi and Kokumo streets, Olambe Community, Adiyan, Adiyan-Gasline, Ola-Ogun, Randle, Ijeja, Agbado Crossing, Ifo Local Government Area, as armed robbers have been terrorizing the areas.
But in averting the situation, a wakeup call has come from the night guard at about 12:15am on Sunday causing residents of the streets to troop out in their numbers and keep watch.
Sounds of gunshots had rented the air as the armed men plundered these areas ready to wreak havoc again, but this time around, the residents were battle ready for a face-off with the criminals.
The residents came out with clubs, machetes, sticks, stones and other objects that could be used as defensive weapons and kept watch till 4:30am, just like in areas affected in Lagos, as individual families ran helter-skelter looking for where to hide their valuables.
There have been overwhelming complaints by residents of Owode, Ilepa, Ifo, Arigbajo, Itori, Dalemo, Ijoko, Ogba Ayo, Mosa, Joju, Sango, Ota, Oniyale among other communities in Ifo and Ado-Odo Ota local government areas of Ogun State over how armed men have taken over the streets, attacking them day and night and taking their valuables.
These robbers allegedly move from community to community terrorising residents and causing unrest. Members of these communities have resorted to keeping group watch, lighting bonfires and patrolling day and night.
Some residents in Lagos and Ogun State have described the present situation as a total security meltdown.
“It’s a total security meltdown. My house is close to the epicentre of the bad boys’ bloody crimes. Even today, broad daylight, from around 11am to 2pm, starting from Agbado station, to Ope-Ilu, Almoruf, Ola-Ogun, Abule, Lemode, Ibaragun, Ijoko, Adiyan-Gasline, the boys in their numbers on bikes attacked residents and robbed them.
“They were armed with dangerous weapons and, surprising, POS machines. If you don’t have cash, you are compelled to submit your ATM card to them at gunpoint while your account is emptied. Reprieve only came when residents summoned courage, mobilised and launched a counterattack to repel them.
We don’t sleep at nights, now we don’t have peace in the day.
I am a direct witness of the scary scenarios.” Femi Adebesin told the magazine.
Modupe Darasayo who shared her experience on Facebook said she was scared and fed up with the developments.
She said “Armed robbers had been parading this area for days now. They came just last week to rob and when two of them were gunned down they brought letter just to warn ahead that they are coming back. Just this afternoon my neighbour warned us not to go out that he got an info they were already in my Estate. I read on Facebook that these armed men were100 in number moving from house to house. From Abule Egba to Ifo, this is no false, it’s true…. I’m scared and tired. They’ve been disturbing my Mum’s area too, she confirmed this when i called her. I don’t know for how long this will end, but I’m scared”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkanah said the police was aware of the developments and had intensified its patrol of the locked shops. He said that police also had started to embark on chopper surveillance to ensure safety of lives and properties of citizens.
The social media has been awash with images of residents of Lagos and Ogun State devising security mechanism to protect themselves by making bonfire as they stayed up all night to protect their neighbourhoods in different areas of the States while lamenting the pathetic state of things.
“We had to stay up all night and be our own security…this lock down is really causing lot of problems for us. #OgunUnrestMore#adiyan #ogununrest” tweeted someone named Omo Ijebu
Amid worries about the possibility of an indefinite extension of the total lockdown order on Lagos, Ogun and Abuja by President Muhammadu Buhari, residents of the two states continue to hope that the security efforts would be intensified and the armed men, apprehended.
