Daily Independent (Lagos)
Victor Ebimomi
17 November 2008
Lagos — There is no doubt that the Lagos State government is determined to transform the state into a world-class beauty. The ongoing beautification of the landscapes and aggressive renovation/ construction of roads and bridges are pointers to this.
One thing that might however rubbish the efforts of the government and subtract significantly from the accolades that are supposed to trickle in is the conspicuous presence of social miscreants otherwise referred to as touts or 'area boys' at the bus stops with fearful aggression written all over them. No bus stop in the state is free. From the small ones in the interior roads to the big ones on the major roads and expressways, the touts are everywhere. And perhaps because of the air of festivity blowing now, in the past two weeks, there seems to be an upsurge of touting with corresponding aggressions.
Bus stops around Oshodi, particularly the one after the headquarters of the LASTMA along Anthony Oke Road, are arguably the worst. Trailing closely are the ones at Ojota along Ikorodu Road and then followed by few others on Mile 2 -Badagry and Apapa-Oshodi Express roads. At Oshodi, the fear of this bus stop after the LASTMA office is the beginning of wisdom. Because of the touts, who normally line up on the road, many a passenger dare not disembark anyhow because of the security risks they pose.
Reeking of alcohol and wraps of Indian hemp dangling on their lips, they unleash terror not only on the commercial motorists, but also on innocent passengers. Tales of pick-pocketing are very common at the park, just as private motorists, who are unfortunate to have their vehicles develop faults there, have also had unpalatable tales to tell, as they were either 'levied' before they could leave or robbed outright by the touts. The situation is similar in most of other bus stops.
"I was asked to pay N10, 000 with serious threat that they would vandalise my vehicle. They were about twenty in number. I was terrified but I begged them and they collected N4, 000. Before they could collect it, I had to empty my pocket for them to see that that was the only money on me," narrated Emeka, who once fell victim to the ferocious touts at the notorious Oshodi park.
According to him, he was returning home after a visit to a business partner in Ketu when his vehicle broke down at the bus stop around 11.00pm and the touts showed him what he had never experienced before in all his 19 years' stay in Lagos.
Emeka, who would not want his surname in print, said the experience of that day still remains fresh in his mind, praying that such a thing would not happen to him again.
To him, the state government must as matter of compulsion rid the bus stops of touts and other unwanted elements. "These people are terrible. They should be chased out of the bus stop in the state," he advised.
Emeka could be said to be lucky if his encounter is compared with that of Shina Olajide. Olajide lost money and his expensive phone at one fell swoop to the touts at Oju-Elegba. The tout, who dispossessed him of N5, 000 cash and his Nokia phone, which he bought at N28, 000, had come to demand the usual levy from the commercial drivers who stopped at the 'illegal' bus stop when he smartly picked his pocket.
"It was like magic. The guy jumped into the bus because it was like the driver was not ready to settle him. He sat by my side exchanging hot argument with the driver. He jumped down later as the motor moved. Immediately something just told me to check my pocket. I didn't even know that the criminal had stolen my money and phone within that few seconds that he entered the vehicle," he recounted.
Convinced that it was the tout, Olajide went back to the park but the criminal had vamoosed.
Apart from stealing and robbery, the touts are a dreadful lot when it comes to violence. They generously employ dangerous weapons, such as knives, cutlasses, and broken bottles, among others, when they go on the offensive. In fact, they relish violence because it is through violent acts that some of them have the opportunity of having a say at the bus stop where they are operating like the lords of the manor. For instance, currently in Agege and Meiran and their environs, the touts appear to be on what can be described as 'show of force', as they make life difficult for tricycle operators. The touts, according to reports, are attempting to take over motor parks forcefully so that they can have the right to tax the tricycle operators. Unable to bear their activities and trying to avoid the potential bloodshed that might ensue, the Chairman of the Tricycle Operators Association in the area, Joseph Odusanya, dispatched a 'save our soul message' to Governor Babatunde Fashola and the State Police Command.
"I am using this forum to call government and police attention to the nefarious activities of some touts, who claim to be factional union in some of our parks where they threaten to assault and maim our members...We are law-abiding citizens, we don't want violence and chaos, that is why I am crying out for government and police to come to our aid," the letter read in part.
Curiously, at some of the bus stops where these touts operate, policemen are also there looking the other way. Because of them (touts), it is commonplace to see commercial drivers jump at offers to pick military personnel who they put on the front seat to deter the hoodlums from harassing them.
Lagos is known to have at some points gone after the so-called 'area boys', but the steam of the battle easily eased off, leading to their resurgence within a short period. During the Brigadier-General Buba Marwa administration, there were constant raids until the touts went underground. The administration of Bola Tinubu also made several attempts to curb the visibility and menace of touts in the state, as many of them were arrested and taken to rehabilitation centres. Observers believe that more than ever before, now is the time to deepen the battle, as the government moves to intensify its drive towards making the state a mega city.
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