Tag: robbery

Right in the heart of Itire, a suburb of Surulere, Lagos, a mayhem that may well surpass the ‘famed’ Boko Haram or herdsmen menace is brewing. Residents, who spoke amidst visible trepidation, narrate how a mob of hooligans regularly swoop on the community in their hundreds, breaking, smashing and looting in broad daylight, unimpeded. Gboyega Alaka reports on the latest of such invasions that occurred last Tuesday.

It’s like nothing they can describe in real life; yet it is real and happening before their very eyes. At best, many of the residents of Itire Surulere, off Lawanson in Lagos, swore it could only happen in the movies; yet they swore they’ve never seen such even in the movies. Where else would you have hundreds of rough, rugged and ragged youths invading streets in broad-daylight, breaking shops, smashing doors, shattering show-glasses and looting wares with aplomb? Where else would you have such huge mob, rampaging and destroying everything in sight , including car screens, without any form of provocation? Most of the time, they come fully armed, with clubs, knives, machetes and even guns. Their sheer swooping number, the residents say, is always too scary for anyone to try to resist or fight them off; hence their only option has been to scamper to safety.

To make matters worse, they always seem to have all the time in the world. Residents say the police always seems to arrive much later; as if deliberately granting them latitude to have their day before moving in. By that time, they swear that the boys would have had their time – sometimes up to two hours, and gone;  before men of the police begin to stream in. Most times, they say they come under-staffed and under armed.

The scenario that played out last Tuesday seemed to be the peak for the residents. The whole of Omobola Street, Albis Street, Wuraola Street, Mushin Road, IK Dairo Street, Onipede Street, Durojaiye Street, Aborishade Street, up to some part of Lawanson Road were said to be completely under siege for upward of two hours. Over 300 vehicles, parked and moving, were also said to have been badly smashed and vandalised.

As it is, the situation seems to have become really scary, as residents are quite unwilling to talk for fear of being targeted. Two elderly men, one a former official of the Refrigerators and Air-conditioners Dealers Association, whose Toyota Camry car was smashed on Omobola Street, and another, whose wife’s snacks shop was vandalised and looted, said the situation has become more like a war situation. Whenever they come, everybody would immediately become helpless and run for cover, the refrigerator seller told this reporter.

“It is like a war situation, with the enemy army invading an unarmed civilian settlement. We are usually at their mercy, as they attack everyone and everything in sight. Most times, when they smash parked cars, they loot it to the minutest valuable. They break shops and cart away as many things as their hands could take. Believe me, it is not funny.”

On learning that this reporter was from The Nation newspaper, the other man whose wife’s snacks shop was reportedly vandalised, said, “Thank God your paper enjoys patronage from the people in government. Please tell them that we are under siege in the whole of Itire, Surulere. These boys, we don’t know where they come from, usually come in their hundreds in broad-daylight. Yesterday’s (Tuesday)  own was between noon and 2 o’clock in the afternoon and they took their time in harassing and attacking streets in the neighbourhood. They threatened and beat up anyone in sight or who tried to wait or resist them, and they robbed and looted every shop and vehicle they could penetrate. Please tell the government; tell the Commissioner of Police and the IG that a war situation, something similar to the Boko haram invasion and herdsmen attack is happening here. It’s like a war situation.”

The two men should know a war situation. They are both from the eastern part of the country and old enough to have witnessed the civil war of the late 1960s.

A lady, who gave her name as Shayo on Omobola Street recounted how they came swooping on her shop that afternoon. “There had been a fracas in the neighbourhood, where a boy, Michael was macheted and hospitalised. As a result, we were all apprehensive but didn’t know when they would strike. At about 12 noon, they came, as usual in their huge numbers. Somehow, we were still taken aback and couldn’t find time to lock the gate and repel them as we have done in the past. The gate has been our saving grace in the past; it was constructed when their attack became incessant.

“This time, they came with guns, as we heard gunshots. Those who could, quickly locked themselves up in their shops, while those who couldn’t scampered to safety, leaving their goods or wares at their mercy. They gained access into my shop and carted away as many drinks as they could. They also took away my two phones. The owner of the shop next to me was lucky. She was able to lock herself in with her child seconds before they reached her shop. Even then, they struggled to pull the door down.”

Asked how long and how often these attacks have been happening, Shayo said “Up to ten times, if not more. Late last December, we heard some gang boys were fighting. It was so vicious that three people were killed. Then there was a lull. In mid January, there was a stampede when we got wind that they were coming. People quickly locked the gate. They fought minimally and went away. They didn’t loot much; at least not on our street. The gate also limited them. The whole looting thing started on Good Friday last year. Since then, they have invaded the neighbourhood countless times.”

Shayo’s next-shop neighbour said, ” Yesterday’s attack was horror in broad daylight. You need to have seen how they were smashing shops and vehicles. I was lucky to lock the door just seconds before they reached my door, but they still struggled to pull it down. And they were shooting. They ordered me to open the door lest they broke it down, but I held back. My daughter was shivering. Only God knows the kind of horror they would have visited on us, if they had succeeded in forcing open the shop. The luck I had was that I didn’t fully open the shop, having heard of the Michael incident earlier. They even entered our compound, looking for what to loot. Luckily everybody had locked themselves in.”

Shayo spoke of how the mob attacked a Nigerian Breweries salesman who had come to deliver wholesale drink to customers in the neighbourhood.  “The moment he saw them, he made to reverse his truck, but was cornered. In the brief moment that he reversed, he rammed his truck into a building fence right by the Omobola Street gate, destroying part of it. If you look, you’ll see that the fence is freshly made. The NBL guy was compelled to repair it. They collected his phones and every other valuables they found on him. Luckily, he had hidden his iPhone, else they would have made away with that as well.”

It was broad-day horror -witnesses

Opposite Shayo’s shop, a teenage girl, Lara (not real name), who said she witnessed the whole scenario said, “It was broad-day horror. Because I already knew how they operate, I ran upstairs immediately I saw them coming. I watched them from upstairs. Within seconds, the whole streets were deserted. They attacked shops opposite and everywhere and looted stuff. They also invaded a snack shop nearby, smashing and looting. They smashed vehicle glasses and looted everything in sight. One of them stood by the gate with a gun, daring anyone to come and shut the gate. Some people said they had earlier noticed some guys loitering by the gate hours before the boys came. Apparently, they knew we would always rush to lock the gate and had strategically stationed the boys there to prevent us.

“Thinking back, one of the boys who had been loitering around the gate was the one who pulled a gun. Of course nobody gave them any attention until the attack happened.” Lara said.

An artisan on the street, who pleaded anonymity, said he was not on ground when the attack happened but said the mob left enough testimonies of their visit for everyone to see. He also said the attacks have become very regular and the residents are now at the mercy of the marauding attackers.

Another man, a witness, said this particular attack smacked of strategy. The way they prevented us from locking the gate showed that they perfected their plan before moving in.

He said only about three of the boys wrapped pieces of clothes round their face to disguise. They all concurred that those might be boys who live in the area. Aside that, they said they could not identify any of them.

Lara said, “Nobody had the mind to stand and identify any of them.”

I’m considering moving out -Snack seller

For minutes, the snacks seller, whose shop was looted, was too scared to respond to this reporter’s questions. She said, “I beg o, I don’t know who is who o; I don’t want any problems.”

It took minutes of placation and assurances before she opened up. She admitted citing the boys a bit too late to rescue most of her snacks, but said she was quick enough to rush in and lock herself in the shop. “From there,” she said “I watched as they smashed the show-glass where I displayed the snacks. They sat down and ate to their fill, washing it down with drinks they had probably looted from other shops. They threatened me to open the door but I refused.”

She said she may not forget Tuesday’s experience in a hurry. “I have never experienced the attack in this magnitude. Usually, once they come swooping, I would lock my shop and run away. I used to display my snacks in a show glass outside before, but I stopped after they smashed and looted it. They also stole my phone. Last December, they robbed me here at gun-point in the evening.

“You see this leg,” she continued tapping her right leg, “I injured it last year when I was rushing to close my shop and run away from them. This is my 13th year in this area but the situation is getting worse and like many other people, I am considering moving out.”

‘We’re disappointed in the police’

The official of the Refrigerators and Air-conditioners Dealers Association, who spoke earlier, expressed his disappointment at the conduct of the Nigeria Police. “The truth is we are surprised and disappointed at the action of the Nigeria Police. Yesterday, they waited until the boys had operated and gone before they came. Mind you this was in broad daylight and their station is just close by; what do you think would be the case if it happened in the night? I did not have their number, but I know people who said they called them and they were asking all sorts of questions over the phone. When they eventually came, they came in one small Suzuki vehicle that could barely take ten persons, whereas the boys were in their hundreds.

“Let me tell you, the situation has got to a level where everybody is afraid. I don’t know who told you that I was a victim, but the truth is that even officials of the CDA (Community Development Association) are afraid to talk because they may come after them. If the police cannot handle them when they come as a mob in the open, is it when they quietly target and come after you that the police will be able to protect you?”

As a solution to the rising spate of daylight impunity in the area, he said he once suggested to the former Area Commander to site a police post at an uncompleted building on nearby Durojaiye Street to establish a police presence and scare the hoodlums away, but nothing happened.

“Now,” he said “the situation has got to a level where the boys swoop on the area at least once in a week or two. They will come, armed with guns, machetes, knives and other dangerous weapons. Aside my car which they vandalised, they attacked a man in a red car out there and made away with his N100,000 after vandalising his car. On a particular evening, I was attacked as I was returning; the boys were operating openly; a police van was stationed nearby but they ignored them and pretended as if it was none of their business.”

“In fact, I don’t want to believe that the police does not know any of the boys. Even when they are arrested, they are released almost immediately to endanger the area and whoever instigated their arrest. The only time I heard that some of them were rounded up was when the IGP, Special Squad came around over the matter. I even learnt that was why the Divisional Police Officer, DPO was changed.”

It’s not true that we did not respond – DPO

However, the DPO of Itire Police Station, Suleiman Kabir, in whose jurisdiction the mayhem has been occurring said it is not true that the police did not respond to the attack. He said he responded immediately he got information that the boys had started attacking and vandalising valuables, personally leading the offensives.

Showing this reporter his tee-shirt, which was still wet, Suleiman said he was on the streets twice, despite the heavy Tuesday rain, chasing after the mob.

Contrary to the story that the mob was in hundreds, Suleiman said the boys he cited were not up to 20. “When we saw them and chased after them, they were not up to 20. At Albis Street, the residents hurriedly slammed the street gate against us and hooked it with padlock, preventing us from gaining access.”

At the end of the offensives, Suleiman said nine of the boys were arrested and have been transported to the Anti-Cultism Unit. He also showed this reporter lists of suspected gang boys arrested during raids in the area.

The Divisional Crime Officer of the area, Adejoro Samuel, who was present during the discussion and was in the team that went to combat the mob, said: “One of the boys who threw a bottle at the DPO was also arrested. People should also understand that we cannot open fire on the boys.”

Suleiman said part of the problem is that “Most of the people don’t follow up when we make these arrests. That is why they are quick to accuse us of releasing them immediately after. Usually, when we make the arrests, we transfer them to Anti-cultism Unit or take them to court because we can’t keep them beyond 24 hours, else human rights people start raising dust.

“We are also not happy that these boys get back on the streets after all the effort we put into arresting them. But what can we do if the court releases them?”