Barely three weeks after the Gbagada kidnapping incident went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter, insecurity has taken another turn in the Alapere area of Lagos State.
Some of the victims shared their encounters with robbers in the Alapere area of the state while receiving medical attention at a Lagos hospital.
One of the victims, who demanded anonymity, told newsmen that her knee was struck with a hammer five times, leading to her immediate hospitalisation.
According to her, the robbery occurred on January 23.
She narrated: “Around 6 am, I was on my way to work from Alapere Estate, so I boarded a Sienna bus heading to Ajah. Although the area is usually busy in the morning, with cars and buses going to the island, there’s always activity at Ogudu Berger, Alapere axis, as many people living there work on the island. A lady entered first, and I noticed that the Sienna bus wasn’t as crowded as typical Lagos commercial cars.
“There were three people, including myself, at the back, two guys in the middle with the lady who entered, and a man seated at the front with the driver. Although we were only two ladies, making a total of eight passengers, we continued straight. The driver was even playing gospel music. Suddenly, instead of going straight towards the Island road, Iyana Oworo, he abruptly took a turn, as if heading to Oshodi, and that’s when I heard the driver say, ‘Guys, operate immediately.
“As soon as he said it, the man at the back grabbed my neck, and another one on the other side in the middle held the other lady’s neck. They squeezed my neck, forced me to lie down, and snatched my bag while the car was still on motion. While extorting us they demanded my phone and password. As I lay down, one squeezed my neck, and the other used a hammer on my knee. They inquired about my phone’s contents, took N7,000 from my purse, and asked about my wallet, Piggy wallet, PiggyVest, and Opay. I informed them I didn’t have those, and my UBA account was empty. They got angry and hit me harder, asked about my last transaction, took my phone, then my laptop.
“After collecting everything, they focused on the other lady, demanding money. She mentioned looking for a job on the Island, and they took some of her ATM cards. They drove through Ilupeju while the car was in motion.
“Approaching Ilupeju, they threatened to rape me if I didn’t cooperate. The driver applied Aboniki to my eyes, removed my earrings, and forcibly inserted Aboniki into my eyes. Continuing through Ilupeju, they dropped me, and the other lady was pushed out and hit by the car. I stood up immediately after being kicked off.
“The place they dropped us was also risky, so I managed to leave and begged for money by the roadside.
“I went to the Ogudu police station to drop a statement. The policewoman explained to me that this has been a frequent occurrence in the Ogudu, Alapere area. Many times, they have tried to stop commuters from boarding private cars, but most of them won’t listen. Instead, they move forward and later join these cars.”
Also, a doctor, who preferred to stay anonymous, shared her encounter with some of these armed robbers in December 2023.
According to her, she boarded a mini bus heading to church, unknowingly filled with robbers who had a Point of Sale, PoS, machine with them.
She said: “They withdrew N300,000 from one of my accounts and later withdrew another N800,000 from another account. We need to be alert and aware that a new set of gangs are in Lagos.”
