The fear of armed robbers is the beginning of wisdom for residents of Awofeso, Babayemi and Ogunnaike streets in Palmgrove, Somolu Local Government Area of Lagos.
The robbers in the last three months, The Nation learnt, have continued to terrorise the communities.
Besides carting valuable goods and cash away, they robbers were said to have left some of their victims injured.
Food vendors and shop owners in the communities were said to have been the latest victims.
Three shop owners on Awofeso and Babayemi streets, according to the residents, were robbed thrice within three weeks.
A food vendor on Awofeso Street was also robbed thrice between May and July.
The Nation learnt that the robbers reportedly break into shops, carting away electricity generating sets, Plasma televisions, stabilisers, home theatres, bags of rice and money.
They usually rob in the mid night, a resident said.
According to Olawale Olumide, the victims, mostly food vendors and shop owners are fed up with the situation of things, stressing that they are tired of reporting robbery cases to the police as little or no effort is made to arrest the situation.
A food vendor at Awofeso Street, who simply gave her name as Mrs Salau told The Nation that she had been robbed thrice within a space of three months.
She said: “If I begin to share my experience with these armed robbers, I may land in the hospital. I have been selling here for the past seven years. The first robbery attack I experienced was two years ago. Then, it was not as serious as the ones of recent. I took fate and continued with my business. On May 16, it was a terrible day for me. We got to the shop around 6am to prepare early. Around 6:30, these people came with guns and entered my shop. They scattered my store and took the money we kept there. They carried the two big generators, plasma television, my daughter’s laptop that is in the store and thousands of money we had in the bag. They also carried the stabilisers for the freezers before they left.
“I reported to Pedro Police Station in Somolu and they came. They asked if I suspect anyone then. People around told them they suspected one guy and the police arrested him. After some weeks, I realised I am even the one spending more because the police were demanding for money. It got to a point people started pleading on his behalf and I was tired of the whole thing. I had to drop the case and left everything to God.
“I still continued with my business. Again on June 7, the second day of Salah, I got to the shop with my assistants and we met the doors opened. They even broke the wall and carted away with everything they could lay their hands on. I had money inside; they left with all valuables in the shop including the new generator I bought and all the food stuffs.
“Last Monday, as usual, I met the two shops door opened in the morning. I was almost rushed to the hospital. My husband had to come to the scene. I was so confused. I thought I was the only one only to hear from my neighbour who sells next to me that they visited her shop too. I am not interested in bringing in the police because they should be the one in charge of our security. I want the Lagos State Governor to come to our aid in Somolu. These armed robbers have made it a routine. We are helpless.”
Another food vendor on the same street, Mrs Silas told The Nation said: “I have never experience this kind of thing before in the past four years I have been selling here. Although I normally hear of robbery cases, I never knew mine is near. I got to the shop on June 3 and met it opened. They broke the padlock and enter. They took my Plasma television and generating set. I didn’t keep any money in the shop. They must have been searching for money because the whole store was scattered. Since then, I can’t ice my drinks as there is no generating set. I will implore Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to help us deploy more policemen to man our street. It is becoming unbearable.”
Mrs Kehinde Ama, a caterer on Babayemi Street said the armed robbers, who broke into her shop July 20 at midnight, also made do with her television, generating set, bags of rice and cake.
She said: “I learnt residents discovered around 3am that my shop has been burgled and alerted officer at Pedro Police Station. They were said to have announced their coming with their siren which made the robbers left and escaped. When I got to the shop that morning, I didn’t bother to report it to the police. This is becoming rampant. Aside from vendors, they also rob shops too. It shows the dearth of insecurity in Somolu, we need the government to take a quick action.”
A barber on the same street who share his shop with a soft drink seller, Mr Abdul Yaqeen Mafimisesin narrated his ordeal with the robbers who visited his shop on July 13 during Ramadan period.
He said: “I slept in my shop with the intention to wake by 4am and eat Sahur. I heard a knock around that 4am because I checked the time on my handset. I heard some voices saying ‘Alfa, wake up for Sahur. It is time.’ I opened and saw four men smoking Indian hemp; they entered and pushed me. They were not wearing any top; they had only trousers on them. They held cutlass and asked me to bow down.
“They began their search, took my television and collected my phone; they even removed my Sim card and threw it at me. They also took my big electricity generating set. They ask for what is in the next shop and I told them it is drinks. They took water and plastic drinks and three stabilizers, one from my shop and two from the other shops. They wanted to make do with my home theatre when one of them noted that the bus is full. That got me surprised but I kept quiet. They saw my bag which contained N25,000. They also took the money. They were about to leave when one of them suggested they matchet me, others disagreed, saying I didn’t prove stubborn. They shut the door at me and left.
“I wasn’t myself for the next two hours because I have not experience such in my life before. Some people speculate they must have operated with the aid of an insider but I don’t even know who it could be. Many customers come in to cut their hairs, how would I have known who might have informed them. I want the Lagos state Government to help us. These armed robbers now see it as a normal because no one has taken action. We want our Governor Ambode to provide us with effective security.”
A panel beater on Ogunnaike Street, who gave his name as Yahya recalled that the robbers made use of jack to steal the batteries of a car and bus parked at his workshop for repair, adding that he met their bonnets opened on July 20. A resident of Babayemi Street, Mrs Sarah Mabawonku expressed her dissatisfaction over the persistent robbery cases, stressing that the robbers must have intended to extend it to houses if not for the gate constructed on the street.
She said: “Before now, we have heard lot of robbery cases. May 2014 was a terrible period for Babayemi residents when one of our neighbours was brutally matcheted by some armed robbers. His attack brought about the gate we constructed for security purpose. The case was taken up by the government and those people were arrested and jailed during the tenure of Mr Babatunde Fashola. We lock the gate by 11pm and we have never had of anything since then. Now, that they have started robbing shops, it shows they mean another serious business. We want Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to interfere this time.”
