Armed robbery and related crimes are on the rise in Lagos and unless the Inspector General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase acts fast, the trend may worsen in the coming weeks and months. The nature of crime ranges from robberies at traffic jams which is now gaining ascendancy, brazen house to house robberies in neighbourhoods to robbery using motorcycles.

Crime statistics recently compiled by the authority of the Lagos State Police Command shows that criminality rate in the state has soared to an alarming crescendo to the bewilderment of the confused authority and concerned members of the public.

“We now sleep with one eyes closed. In fact the era of street gates and local vigilante groups would soon return, if not for anything, to protect our lives and that of our family members. In fact, we are living at the mercy of armed robbers in Lagos,” says Gani Adams, a leader of Odua People Congress (OPC.)

However, investigations at the Police authority’s domains in Lagos State, from January this year to June, indicate an acute increase in armed robbery operations, using motorcycles, popularly known as ‘Okada and speed boats where applicable.

A source at the Federal Anti-robbery Squad (FEDSARS) at Adeniji Adele, Central Lagos, revealed that between May 15th and June, of this year, Lagos State recorded six cases of bank and 165 cases of Okada associated armed robbery operations.

Soft targets of these criminals are Lagosians caught in traffic. The crooks congregate at traffic prone areas namely Oshodi Oke, Ilasamaja along Oshodi Apapa Expressway, Apapa and Mile Two areas, Lagos-Abeokuta expressway among other routes from the early evening hours till late night to rob commuters at gun point, shooting and maiming non-cooperating victims.

“My colleagues and I were robbed at Oshodi Oke about 9 pm one Friday as we were returning from work. We were four in the my official car and we ran into hold up at Oshodi. They were robbing vehicle after vehicle with impunity and some people abandoned their cars and ran away adding to the confusion. Soon, it was our turn. They took our phones and cash and ipads. No security man was in sight. It was such a shame”, an angry Dele Sholanke, told our reporter.

A staff of the Political Economist almost fell a victim recently but he managed to zoom off through the service lane, almost knocking down pedestrians waiting for buses.

Recall that daredevil robbers, in a commando-style operation recently stormed two banks, Zenith and First Bank situated at the Ebute-Ipakodo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, leaving several persons wounded and carting away millions of Naira reported to be within the region of N100 million.

This happened just few weeks after robbers had raided the Lekki branch of FCMB, also carting away millions of Naira. Though Police claimed three members of the Lekki armed robbery gang have been arrested, the fleeing ones have become a major concern to all Lagos residents.

The bandits, allegedly numbering about 16 in the attack, which according to eyewitnesses lasted for several hours, afterwards escaped with their loot by boat upon completion of their nefarious task.

Some security operatives, comprising policemen and soldiers, that had been rallied as a counter-force were said to have arrived the area around 1:30pm; at least three hours after the robbers had fled. They blamed their late arrival on bad state of access road to the area and vehicles.

It was also gathered that most of the operations took place on major highways, including Mile 2, Lagos/Badagry expressway, Ikorodu Road, Ikeja along (Agege Motor Road), Oba-Akran road, Bariga and Lekki/Epe expressway.

It was gathered also that the method of their operations was not different from what used to be obtained before the clamp down on Okada riders in some routes in the State.

The situation is so bad that armed robbers escorted victims to ATM point to draw money for them. “My sister and her husband were whisked away by four gunmen. We had earlier concluded they must have been kidnapped, only for them to reappear few hours later and told us that the gunmen took them to ATM and cleaned up their accounts,” said Linus Okoye, a Lagos-based lawyer.

Adams said “from all indications, the security of lives and property in Lagos State, is now left at the mercies of the individual residents and God Almighty. My brother, if you don’t protect yourself, you are on your own.”

In a related development, recently at about 7.12pm, a reporter with one of the online newspapers, Bosede Adegboye, was on her way home after the day’s work, when a motorcyclist otherwise known as okada, carrying one other person, swerved to her side, and like a scene in a Hollywood movie, the passenger snatched her hand bag, containing her lap-top and other work tools and zoomed off.

On the same street, another day and this time, one Franca lost one of her most cherished possessions, a Blackberry phone.

She was speaking with someone on the phone when two people on Okada snatched the phone from her.

“I was walking and receiving call when they just appeared by my side and snatched my phone. It was like magic. I was dumb-founded for a few seconds before I realised that my phone was gone,” she said.

On March 27th a sailor, who had just disembarked from a ship at Apapa Wharf, was standing at Liverpool Roundabout at 10 p.m. waiting for a cab to take him home. Suddenly, an Okada rider parked beside him.

The man on the back seat alighted, walked towards him and demanded for his phones and money. At first, the sailor thought it was a joke. He ignored him. The demand was repeated, but he was adamant. However, when he felt the cold steel of a pistol on his head, he immediately succumbed. He lost his two phones and N27,000.

On the April 1st, one Innocent Okagba, has just emerged from his bank (name withheld), where he had gone to make some withdrawal, before he could spell, “Jack” two guys were by his sides, one asking for his phones and the other asking for the money he has just withdrawn from the bank.

“I withdrew N50,000.00 for some business transaction with Mouka Foam, when I came out of the bank, I moved a little away from the front of the bank, because buses don’t stop there, only for the waiting Okada man to ask, if I was going and I said, no, but before I knew it two guys were by my side, asking for my phones and the money I just withdrew from the bank.”

However, Kenneth Nwosu, spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, would not agree with the statistics. According to him, “I don’t know how and where they got their statistics from but I can tell you that it is not as bad as that. The truth is that, since the beginning of this year, there has been gradual penetration of Okada riders into routes they were hitherto barred from. However, a good number of them have been arrested and their motorcycles seized.”

He added that, it was the usual indiscipline of an average Nigerian, who would always want to test the law of the land. “They are all over Ikeja along bus stop, and they know that what they are doing is illegal, so that is why they are always in a hurry. Moreover, our citizens that patronize their services are another source of concern, because if they find no patronage, they won’t be there.”

Nwosu, however added that Police would soon launch a major onslaught against the bike riders in the state. “We would soon begin the usual raid on them. We want to take them by surprise, they know that what they are doing is against the law.”