18th August, 2015
The residents and motorists in Lagos State have called on Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to urgently address robberies in gridlocks in the metropolis which, they said, had become their nightmare.
They also urged the governor to ensure that bad portions of the roads which often created the gridlocks were repaired though they admitted that often the cause of the traffic jams were unseen.
Those who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that they had lost their valuables and were at times maimed by the hoodlums.
NAN reports that the hoodlums often took advantage of the slow moving traffic to brandish their guns at unsuspecting motorists and their passengers before demanding for their valuables.
The robbers employ various modes for their operations, including using motorcycles whereby two people ride on a motor bike and while one gets down to rob unsuspecting motorists, the other waits on it to zoom off with him after they had completed their robbery.
At times, one of them would pretend to be crossing the road only to get the driver to stop and as soon he does, the others swoop on the vehicle to rob the occupants.
Also, they tell the driver that his tyre is flatn or that his fuel tank was leaking just to get him to stop. The situation makes it imperative for all to be vigilant.
Narrating their experiences some of the victims of these robbery ploys said they were helpless as there were no security agents to save them.
They also spoke of the need for the government to repair the bad portions of the roads as well as get traffic moving unhindered.
A lady who pleaded anonymity said that three hoodlums tried to rob her around 8 p.m. in a slow moving traffic at Odo Iya Alaro, Maryland.
“The hoodlums after tapping at my door glass for me to wind down still took their time to follow my car as I had to change lane twice before the road later became free and I zoomed off,’’ she said.
According to her, she was helpless and started to press the car horn continuously to at least call for help before she was finally able to zoom off.
One Mr Tony, as he preferred to be called in this report, who was not that lucky told NAN that he was unlucky when he was robbed at Fadeyi area of Ikorodu Road.
“There was nowhere for me to move to when about two of the hoodlums started hitting my door glass at Fadeyi along Ikorodu Road at about 8.30 p.m.
“I was able to hide my phone but my laptop bag on the seat behind me and my wristwatch were forcefully taken away from me,’’ Tony told NAN.
He, however, advised that motorists should be security conscious whenever they were driving at night as no one could predict where the dare-devil hoodlums would be operating.
Another victim, one Mr Deji, a banker, said he and his colleagues were attacked while approaching Apongbon, CMS around 6 a.m. on their way to work.
“We were four in the car that day when the hoodlums came armed with locally made guns and threatened to break the glass if we refused to wind down the glass.
“When it became obvious that there was nowhere to run to as the hoodlums became more aggressive, we had to wind down and release our valuables to them.
“This was after I was slapped twice by one of them,’’ he said.
Some of those who spoke also urged the government to rid the roads of hawkers as many of them were not selling enough articles that could sustain them.
They expressed the opinion that such persons might apparently be robbing in gridlocks, especially at night to meet their needs.
NAN recalls that the Lagos State Police Command had issued various warnings on illegal possession of firearms and also promised to free Lagos of robberies in traffic.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, has also set up a squad that monitors the operations of the officers and men of the force in all aspects of policing, especially tracking the activities of traffic policemen.
Apparently, the unit was established because of the numerous complaints by the public about the police causing traffic jams due to their insatiable greed to extort motorists.
The unit was also to address the absence of policemen at these gridlocks and black spots to offer adequate security to the populace.
His predecessor, Mr Kayode Aderanti, had on Jan. 10, said the police would free Lagos roads from gridlocks to prevent commuters and motorists from traffic robberies.
According to a statement issued then, “the Commissioner of Police, Mr Kayode Aderanti has directed all Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers to ensure that all their traffic officers and all other personnel are on the road.
“This should be, especially during the peak hours — very early in the morning between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. to ensure that the roads are kept moving.
“Above all, we also noticed that hoodlums cash in on these gridlocks to rob motorists and commuters of valuables.
“So, because of this, it is the duty of our men to check the hoodlums by increasing patrol on these corridors where we have the gridlocks so that they can reduce harassment of commuters and motorists.”
In all, it is for the government to ensure that the roads are properly fixed and to ensure that its law enforcement agencies provided adequate security on the roads to rid them of the hoodlums.
The government agencies responsible for traffic management should also make sure that traffic rules and regulations are obeyed to the letter and that no broken down vehicle is left to obstruct vehicular movement.
But in doing these, an arrangement should be put in place to ensure that motorists are not fleeced by the law and government traffic management agencies.