It is
difficult to say that the Lagos-Seme Highway has shed its toga as home of
crime. Over the years, this facility, linking Nigeria with her West African
neighbours, has been firmly in the grip of marauders. According to Daily Sun
investigation, various armed gangs still rule the road with gusto. They have no
specific time for their operation.
By all
standards, the all-important Lagos-Seme road passes for an international
motorway, since it is the gateway to the entire West Coast of Africa. For,
hardly does any ECOWAS citizen come into or exit Nigeria without accessing it.
The hard fact is that several hundreds of commercial and private vehicles ply
the road daily, conveying thousands of passengers and their cargo across the
Nigeria-Benin Republic border. And with Nigeria’s status as prince of the
province, the number of people using the road increases every day. Perhaps, if
records are kept, the figure may surprise everyone.
In the past
years, the travails of commuters on the Lagos-Seme corridor have been
monumental. They have had to contend with several portions of the failed road.
Regular users of the facility say those bad spots keep emerging each day. They
contribute to the pain and anguish brought about by the multiplicity of
regulatory agencies on the road. Non-Nigerians commuters have been complaining
aloud about their presence, maintaining that the actions of the personnel of
such agencies add to travel time on the road.
However,
much more worrisome is the menace of marauders who are still making life on the
road difficult. Armed youths who strike at various segments of the road are increasingly
raising the status of robbery to a trade. They waylay their victims, rob them
of their money, drag the women among them into the nearby bush and audaciously
rape them. This impunity has been going on without anything being done about
it.
A little
long ago, the portion between the Ojo Military Barracks and Volkswagen Bus
stops was the nemesis of many who ply that road. Once the clock struck 7 pm,
the fear of the area then was the beginning of wisdom. Tens of youths seized
the opportunity of the characteristic traffic gridlock which still rules the
area to commit mayhem. Coming out in their large numbers and looking every inch
vicious, they unrestrainedly unleashed terror on commuters, robbing, killing
and maiming the unyielding ones. Once challenged, they allegedly scaled the
fence and disappeared either into the nearby military barracks or the
Volkswagen compound.
But
following an onslaught by the police and the military, the menace has been
curtailed. Some of the youth robbers who, Daily Sun gathered, used to converge
on the spot are probably operating in other areas. Now, the tempo of the menace
has reduced considerably. Some of the actors are apparently doing nobler things
elsewhere or have channeled their energies into other vices rather than robbing
at the spot. However, the nerve-wracking traffic chaos which characterizes the
area still persists.
While the
area around Ojo held the notorious record as home of crime and criminality,
another point on the same road has been fighting to gain similar popularity.
The U-turn at Agboju, to many, is another deadly point to fear. On a good day,
police traffic wardens are posted to the spot to stave off heavy traffic
build-up. But Daily Sun investigation shows that any moment the traffic
bottleneck begins to build following the absence of either the police or
officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), motorists
suffer untold hardship. The story is the same on both portions of the road up
to the Trade Fair complex bus stop.
Apart from
the pains and anguish commuters go through, especially during the rush hours as
a result of avoidable traffic chaos, they also get robbed while trapped in the
traffic maze. They fall easy prey to armed youths who take advantage of the
confusion. The robbers simply show commuters their guns – real and imaginary –
and frighten them to promptly part with their property. Unyielding ones are
sometimes shot. And since no one wants the experience, they easily comply and
hand the robbers free rein.
Now with the
ongoing Lagos light rail project, and the attendant massive construction,
commuters are having a hard time. Youth robbers have been profiting from the
confusion. This is already raising serious security concerns in the area.
Shortly
after the Agboju U-turn inward Mile 2, the construction company handling the
project only allowed a narrow link road between the expressway and the inner
Old Ojo road. What that means is that motorists must squeeze through the narrow
path to get by. On a bad day, this spot has become a fertile ground for robbers
operating both in the day and night. In the day, they disguise as youths
selling commodities in the traffic to rob their helpless victims, especially
those of them who forgot to wind up their cars’ window glasses.
Just
recently, three staffers of The Sun Publishing Company were robbed at the spot
in broad daylight. Mr. Olumuyiwa, an accountant, was a victim of the most
dramatic of the robberies. He was handed a raw deal in the morning, shortly
after he had made a U-turn at Agboju and was waiting to access the link road
inward Old Ojo road. He was accosted by three youths who demanded money,
threatening to blow his head to ribbons if he refused to comply.
Recalling
his encounter with the robbers, he said: “I had dashed to attend to a pressing
family matter and was returning to the office that morning. I made a U-turn at
Agboju and had no problem doing that. I was headed for Old Ojo road, but it was
difficult because there was some light traffic which made access difficult.
“My thoughts
were centered on the enormity of things I had to do in the office. However, I
noticed three young boys as they trudged towards my car. Initially, I misjudge
them for hawkers, but I was wrong. Suddenly they swooped on me. Two came
through the passenger’s side, while another approached from the driver’s side.
My glass windows were down to let in some air. Then one of them yelled at me
‘oya, oya, oya bring all the money you have there now or you are wasted!’
“The moment
I heard that, it dawned on me that I was in for the unexpected. I knew that the
unfortunate could happen if I didn’t act fast. Responding in Yoruba, I told
them to take it easy, that I was going to give them all that they wanted. Just
then, the one at my right whipped out a gun. When I saw it, I froze.
“But
regaining my composure, I dug into my back trouser pocket and handed them N1,
000 note each. Seeing that, they yelled ‘oga please bring more!’ For the second
time, I gave them another N1, 000 notes each. When they realized that I was
bringing out the money piecemeal, one of them yelled again ‘oga, now we will
kill you if you fail to bring more!’ Hearing that, I mustered courage and told
them that I was not destined to die just like that. But again I handed each of
them another round of N1, 000 note. At that point, the two at the passenger’s
side, dashed off to meet another victim. But the lad at my side persisted.
“I was
pleading with him to let me go when he said softly: “Oga, na me hold the gun,
if you no bring more money, you go die now!’ So I began pleading with him to
take additional N1, 000 notes, the very last I had so that he would allow me
go. While the exchange was going on, the traffic began to move. As he thrust
his hand into the car to collect the money, I released the electric window
button, and instantly the glass held his hand. He then began to scream for help
as I drove. If the traffic moving was fast, I could have dragged him a long
while. But I thought about my window glasses which could be shattered if I had
dragged him further. So I released the button a little bit to free him and he
fled. All the drama happened within a few fleeting seconds.
“As I drove,
I kept wondering if I was waking up from a bad dream, but it was not. Thank God
I had some money to give them. I don’t know what could have happened if I had
no dime on me.”
- SUN reporter
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