Robbers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are always reinventing themselves. Now, they pounce on helpless motorists at traffic light intersections where there is little room for escape. GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports
Robbers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja have now adopted another means of dispossessing unsuspecting motorists of their belongings. Traffic light spots are their new stomping grounds, especially at night. With the increased number of traffic lights in the FCT, robbers have also taken the advantage of the dark spots to carry out their nefarious activities.
Many motorists in Abuja are victims of these unfortunate incidents and can no longer bear the situation.
Segun Ariyo, a victim, who was robbed while waiting for the greenlight to turn on at a traffic intersection in Maitama, lamented.
“When next you are at a traffic light intersection, you might want to be careful,” he said.
Other victims said these traffic robbers usually follow unsuspecting motorists, either from a bank or office, to a traffic light where they either try puncturing vehicles’ tires with objects laden with nails or rob them outright.
Another resident, who preferred to be called Mrs. Asabe shares her story of these robbers at Maitama, not far from Mississippi Junction. When she was robbed, a traffic warden was present.
She said, “I got to that traffic light, and as we were waiting for the green light to come up, one young man tapped at my window, pointed at my tire, and beckoned on me to wind down my glass. As I did to hear him clearer, he immediately opened my car from inside and jumped in. He then brought out a gun and commanded me to open the back door for his colleagues to enter or I lose my life, I opened the door for his colleagues to enter out of fear of being shot. They took my handbag, handsets, cash and all the jewelries I wore.”
She said the robber alighted when the traffic light was about turning green onto a waiting motorcycle and zoomed off. When she approached the traffic warden, he said he did not see any robber.
While most residents blame the increase in traffic robbery on the increased number of traffic lights in Abuja, John Omole identified the lack of ban on motorcycles as the cause.
Omole said: “I have seen robbers snatch phones from motorists waiting to obey the traffic lights, and most places where you sight the police officers immediately they leave there robbers take over.”
Omole has been driving for over eight years and for the past one year, has been plying Jabi-Airport bypass to Kabusa junction. He said within the period, he had witnessed several attacks by hoodlums on passengers. He said the hoodlums, who operate between 7pm and 10pm, employed several tactics in dispossessing passengers of their valuables.
“It is either they operate from the tricycle or stay by the roadside and descend on passengers whenever the tricycle slowed down at speed breakers on the road or waiting in the bush to attack,” he said.
The situation has so degenerated that motorists always warn each other before leaving the park to ensure their phones and other valuables are secure. They warn them to hold their hand luggage and handsets tight before riding out of either their home or offices.
Hassan, a civil servant who spoke with Abuja Review said after one of such encounters with some hoodlums, a tricycle operator was accused of conniving with the criminals and was made to pay N40,000 at the police station to a woman for the loss she suffered.
It was observed that there were few street lights from Jabi Airport Bypass to Galadimawa roundabout. The street lights are only from National Judicial Institute to a few metres after Dantata bridge. The bushy road is usually dark thereby giving the hoodlums cover to hide and launch attacks on their victims.
The road leads to important locations in the FCT. Aside connecting motorists from the airport to other parts of the city, the city’s industrial district is situated along the road.
Among government institutions on the road are the National Judicial Institute, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Federal Staff Hospital, and National Open University of Nigeria. The road also leads to other private institutions including Nile University, Julius Berger Yard, CITTEC Estate and Kings Court Estate.
Hassan said those that operate public transport usually stop passengers at a bushy area having carefully studied their victims.
“They pay in high denomination notes and when the rider is trying to get their change, they snatch phone, handbag or any valuable and escape into the bush.”
“They attack motorists too. I have seen one of the criminals wrestle a car owner. Not that he wanted to snatch the car but the phone the driver was holding. The driver wound up the glass and the thief had to run away.
“Such incident are regular at hospital junction, Sun City and before Lokogoma Junction,” he said, adding that the tricycle operators can only pray that the situation would change for the better. Nothing is beyond God; when you pray to God any problem can be solved.”
Lamenting on the sad development, an Abuja resident, Samuel said his job gets riskier daily because of the activities of hoodlums, whom he said, usually placed them in a tight spot as some victims suspect them of connivance.
“The passengers are warned to keep their belongings secure as the riders would not be held responsible for anything that happened afterwards.
“Some of the criminals board keke pretending to be passengers to assess the passengers; to pick who will be their victim(s), so immediately they approach a traffic light and the rider applies brake, they grab whatever they want to steal and escape on a motorcycle or on foot. The passenger will now accuse the driver that it is a setup,” he said.
He said that some passengers in his friend’s vehicle were robbed at Galadimawa Roundabout, adding: “These wicked people also target people in traffic jam.”
All efforts to get the spokesman of the FCT police command, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, to react to the development were futile as he could not be reached on phone at press time.