6 October 2008
Lagos — Motorists and commuters in the Lagos metropolis have called on the Lagos State Police Command to rescue them from incessant robbery attacks during traffic congestion.
They identified Ojo-Volkswagen/ Iba road, Tin-can Island/Coconut Expressway, Mile 2 and Toyota Bus Stops, as well as Ojota and Ketu as some of the areas where such robberies occur.
They also observe that the incidents usually occur between the 7.30 p.m and 9.30 p.m when traffic hold-ups are at their peak.
The motorists say the robbers often armed with cutlasses,guns and other dangerous weapons dispossess people of their valuables and sometimes injure or kill them.
Some of the commuters told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that going through the roads had become dangerous, particularly when there was a traffic logjam.
According to them, the robbers will stealthily move to their victims and order them to wind down the glasses of their vehicles.
Mr. Muyiwa Shadare, a trader, who plies Ojo-Volkswagen road, said that whenever an unsuspecting victim refused to obey such orders, the robbers become violent.
A victim, Mr Ukadike Onwuka, said he was unfortunate to have been attacked when no one, including the police, offered any help.
"That evening I lost a huge amount of money. I was in a commercial bus plying Mile 2 to Oshodi when the vehicle was attacked at Toyota bus-stop".
"The attack lasted for about half an hour as the six robbers took their time to search every occupant in the traffic snarl," he said.
The Lagos State Police Command's spokesman, Mr Frank Mba, a Superintendent of Police, said the command had increased its patrol on the roads.
Mba said that plain-clothes detectives had been deployed to some identified black spots.
"I can tell you that the command has risen to the challenge and has deployed policemen from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) to patrol such areas. The criminals can no longer operate freely on these roads," Mba said.
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