9th November, 2010
Lately, there has been an upsurge in violent crimes in Lagos and it’s like various security measures put in place by the state government which in the past had been successful, have been stretched by the recent resurgence of armed robbery attacks across the state.
A plausible but unacceptable explanation will be to blame the surge on the approaching yuletide season and the attendant mad rush by those who seek money by all means to celebrate during the season. But a close look at the situation on ground suggests that governance in the state and indeed throughout the federation, is facing a very serious challenge, for it is not only in Lagos that there has been an upsurge in violent crimes. All over the country, there are violent crimes being commited. Kinapping and killing of the victims even after ransoms have been paid is becoming rampant while armed robbery attacks are the order of the day.
Just last Friday in Lagos, along Acme Road, a businessman who had withdrawn about N3 million from a bank to purchase a vehicle was shot three times and the money snatched from him. The commercial motorcyclist who brought him to the area did not also escape the fury of the robbers who shot him in the leg before escaping on their motorcycle.
And on Sunday, another armed gang with members wielding AK47 rifles stormed Demurin Street, Ketu area of Kosofe Local Government Area and conducted a house-to-house raid during which they carted away household properties and cash running into millions of naira. In FESTAC, a journalist with TheNEWS Magazine was robbed at gunpoint and his money and Blackberry phone taken away by the robbers. On Agindingbi road, a lady on commercial motorcycle was knocked off the bike by a two-man robbery gang on another motorcycle and her bag containing cash, black berry phone and other valuables was taken away.
Barely two weeks ago, robbers struck at a cold room on Kayode Street, in Ogba, and reportedly carted away millions of naira. Kayode Street has become notorious for robbery attacks in Ogba area where Area ‘G’ Police Command headquarters is located.
It is now a common sight at crowded bus stops and markets in the Lagos metropolis to see Lagosians clutching onto their bags tightly and looking at their backs to ward off bag snatchers and prowling gangs of petty thieves.
It is like the personnel of the Lagos State urban security outfit, the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, have gone to sleep. Hardly can you see the RRS vehicles patrolling strategic places and known black spots in the metropolis like they used to do. Once in a while the vehicles are seen parked at obscure sections of some roads with the officers manning them idling away.
Our observation is that those saddled with the responsibility of monitoring them and ensuring that they perform the task for which they were set up have all abandoned their work. We are calling on those in position of authority in Lagos to move fast and stem the rising tide of violent crimes. We have had cause to praise them in the past for maintaining security by dislodging hoodlums from the state. But it appears as if the robbers have returned in full force, with the ordinary people now at their mercy.
This is wake up call. The security agencies should be mobilised once more to rein in the criminals. Like we stated earlier, the approaching yuletide should not be used as an excuse to justify an upsurge in crimes. Government should rise up to the occasion and save the citizens from the onslaught of criminals. Every resource must be mobilised to tackle this menace.
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