If you are a motorist driving on the
Mile 2 Bridge in the evening and your vehicle breaks down, abandon it
and flee,” these were the words of a commercial bus driver, Michael
Onwuka, who plies the Ketu-Mile 2 route every day.
Onwuka told PUNCH Metro that
since the state government started the expansion of the Oshodi-Apapa
Expressway, robbers had been taking advantage of the traffic congestion
that followed.
Continue reading after the cut....
Our correspondent, who visited the area
on Thursday, observed that the congestion was so bad that many
passengers who were in buses got down and resorted to trekking.
Our correspondent also observed that on
the other side of the expressway, inward Oshodi, commercial
motorcyclists operated freely and had even set up a makeshift park on
the roadside, contravening the state traffic law.
An official of the Lagos State Traffic
Management Authority, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of
anonymity, said he witnessed four robberies in the past two weeks.
He added that some of the robberies occurred in broad daylight, while the robbers were able to escape on motorcycles.
He said, “Last week Monday, around 7pm,
the traffic was heavy as usual. A guy, who posed as a beggar, knocked on
the window of a car and was soliciting for alms from the driver who was
a woman.
“The woman wound down the glass and offered the man N200. The man suddenly grabbed the woman’s hand and gave her punches.
“The man then stretched his hand into her car, grabbed her bag and phone and fled.”
Narrating another incident, the LASTMA
official said, “About two weeks ago, we saw a young guy roaming the
expressway with a handkerchief. We didn’t know a gun was hidden inside
the handkerchief
“Suddenly, he approached a guy who was
holding a bag. He attempted to snatch the bag, but the owner of the bag
resisted. The robber pulled out the gun and shot the guy twice.
“He then grabbed the bag, crossed to the
other side of the expressway and fled on a bike. The victim claimed he
had N4m in the bag.”
Some hawkers in the area told our correspondent that the absence of streetlights also made things easy for the robbers.
One of the hawkers, Peter Odibeli, told PUNCH Metro that some of the robbers also used cars.
He said, “I have witnessed about three robberies. I close around 10pm because I get to sell more goods in the traffic.
“Last week, around 10pm, I was on my way home. As I was about to enter a bus, a Toyota stopped in front of the bus.
“Robbers alighted from the car and
robbed all the bystanders. I was able to escape, but when I returned,
victims narrated their ordeal to me.”
When our correspondent visited Fatgbem Bus Stop, some employees of Fatgbems Filling Station confirmed the spate of robberies.
They, however, told PUNCH Metro that the police usually made arrests.
A senior employee, who wished to remain
anonymous, said, “Most of the robberies take place on the Mile 2 Bridge.
Many of the robbers operate on motorcycles. However, policemen
attached to the Rapid Response Squad and those from the FESTAC Police
Station make arrests.”
The state Police Public Relations
Officer, Ngozi Braide, said she would find out the truth about the
incidents from the Area E commander.
She, however, had yet to call PUNCH Metro back as of the time of going to the press.
-Punch
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