They are not just
ordinary Nigerians
but young men
who deck usually
in jeans trousers,
face cap match
with t-shirt to
frightened and
steal from
motorists
trapped in traffic
gridlock. CHARLES
ADINGUPU
captures how
these villainous
rogues encircled
their victims.
Bogged down by
domestic
worries, Chike
Nwogu has just
closed from his
workplace at
Apapa but was
so engrossed in
his car on how to
properly ration
his meagre
monthly income
to accommodate
all his pending
family troubles.
He thought of
giving
proportionate
amount of
money to his
younger sister to
commence the
burial rites of
their aged
mother who just
passed on. But
his house rent
which was due
at the time
would not allow
him. Trapped
between these
decisions, Chike
got tensed up as
he cascaded in
his Honda Civic
car and made an
abrupt stop
courtesy of the
usual traffic
gridlock at Cocoa-
nut bus stop in
Lagos.
At this point,
Chike jettisoned
the idea of toying
with his backlog
of family
challenges to
concentrate on
his driving and
the cool music
from his car
stereo. But as
Chike approached
Berger Yard bus
stop, a young
man who
appeared ruffled,
tapped lightly at
the windscreen
of his car. Amid
the traffic jam,
Chike couldn’t
fathom what the
guy wanted and
so, ignored him.
Again came the
knock, but this
time harder. Out
of irritation, Chike
wound down the
glass of his car
to find out what
this stranger
wanted. “Before
I could ask what
he wants, this
young man pulled
out a jack knife
from his tattered
jeans trousers
and ordered me
to cooperate or
he’d slash my
throat with the
knife and nothing
will happen,”he
said.
While he was
negotiating with
him on what to
part with, two
other young men
emerged from
nowhere to join
him.
However, at the
end of the unholy
business, the
young men made
away with
Chike’s wrist
watch, one
Blackberry phone
and ten thousand
naira cash.
“But my greatest
disappointment
was that other
car owners who
witnessed the
incident tried
effortlessly to
wangle their
ways out of the
scene to avoid
being attacked
as well,” Chike
lamented.
Unfortunately
Clifford Effiong
who works as a
manager in one
of the oil serving
companies at
Apapa was not
that lucky.
“I was just
ascending the
bridge at Mile 2 to
link the Oshodi
expressway
when three stern
looking guys
accosted me
with brand new
pistols and
ordered me to
disembark from
my car.
I thought of
putting up
resistance but
the gun would
not allow me to
do otherwise. So,
I obeyed. They
then bundled me
into the boot of
my own jeep and
drove off.
“Eventually, they
dumped me at
Isolo and
promised to
abandon the car
after their
operations. They
kept to their
promise as I’ve
already retrieved
my car from the
police who
alerted me three
days after that
my car was
found. Though,
not without
them removing
my car stereo,
hand sets and
some amount of
money I tucked
inside my car,”he
said.
On daily basis,
unsuspecting
motorists are
attacked by
these young
gangsters who
prowl Mile 2 with
impunity. The on-
going
construction of
the Apapa-
Oshodi
expressway has
largely
contributed to
the traffic
gridlock that road
users experience
on rush hours.
The first and last
Fridays of every
month seem to
be the best days
for operation by
these notorious
traffic thieves.
Such days, the
traffic is usually
heavy and it’s
easy for them to
attack one
motorist or the
other without
molestation from
anybody,” said a
commercial bus
driver who
proffers
anonymity.
That was how
Andy Okafor’s
Danfo
commercial bus
was snatched
from him by the
dare-devil
teenage thieves
at Maza Maza.
“My younger
brother just
brought the bus
from Europe
barely a month
ago when these
strange bed
fellows
ambushed me at
Maza Maza and
made away with
the bus.
“First, they
ordered all the
passengers who
were Oshodi
bound to
disembark and
pushed me to
the passengers’
side and sped
off. My conductor
has already ran
for safety when
he saw these
young men.
However, as we
journeyed
towards Oshodi,
one of them
touched my
head, and said,
“Small boy, you
will find your bus.
We only need it
for this night
assignment.
They dropped me
off at Toyota
bus stop. A week
afterwards, I
found my bus
parked close to
my mechanical
workshop at
Abule Jiga at
Iyana Isolo.”
However,
narrating his own
ordeal in the
hands of these
traffic thieves at
Mile 2, Ebenezer,
a driver in one of
the firms at
Apapa said he
was attacked
and
dispossessed of
some of his
personal effects
at the traffic.
“The traffic was
moving at a snail
pace when two
small boys
approached me
for money to eat.
I doled out five
hundred naira
from my breast
pocket and
handed over to
them. But to my
surprise, they
insisted that the
amount of
money was too
small. What
turned out to be
a kind gesture
became robbery.
They then took
my two hand
sets and the
balance of two
thousand naira
left with me.”
Saturday
Vanguard Editor,
Chioma Gabriel
was attacked
recently by
these traffic
terrors at Mile 2.
But she is already
familiar with the
modus operandi
of their
operations, and
so, she lost
nothing to them.
Narrating her
experience, she
said her driver
was going along
with the traffic
pace when two
of the boys
banged the door
of her car but
she and her
driver ignored
them.They
moved to the
middle lane and
the young men
left them quietly
after sometime
when they
refused to
wound down the
car glass.
Most motorists
who ply the
Apapa-Oshodi
expressway
complained of
being attacked
by these fearless
teenage traffic
thieves on daily
basis especially
when the traffic
was heavy. One
of such
motorists who
would not want
his name
mentioned, said
he has been
dispossessed of
his handsets and
wrist watches
on three
separate
occasions.
“But my greatest
worry remains
with the on-
lookers who
watch helplessly
when innocent
people were
being attacked at
the traffic.
Nobody seems
ready to offer
any help or make
bold to put
resistance to the
activities of
these
hoodlums,”he
said.
Another motorist
who gave his
name simply as
Waheed laments
that often times,
the police patrol
truck will be
parked close to
the place of
operation. Yet,
these boys go
about their dirty
business
unmolested.
Saturday
Vanguard
investigations
showed that
these traffic
thieves operate
from Cococo-nut
bus stop down
to Mile 2 and
from Maza Maza
at Festac side to
Mile 2 bus-stop
as well.
At Ketu-Ojota
bus stops, the
traffic snarl at
this axis begins
usually at
Maryland and
stretches to
Ketu bus-stop.
Again these
traffic terrors
are always on
the prowl looking
for victims.
According to
Babajide
Emmanuel who
works at the
island, the boys
are always at
the Ojota end of
Ikorodu road by
Bata.
“You will see
them pretending
to be waiting for
somebody only
to swoop on
unsuspecting
motorists and
dispossess them
of their personal
belongings,”he
said.
Babajide
disclosed to
Saturday
Vanguard that
the traffic
terrors began
their operations
from 8pm when
the LASMA and
Kick Against
Indiscipline boys
have closed. “A
friend of mine
was attacked at
the foot of the
pedestrian bridge
at Ojota when he
decided to follow
the service lane
to beat the
heavy traffic at
the express,”he
said.
A banker, Pascal
Igwebuike said
he was attacked
at Ketu bus stop.
“The traffic was
indeed heavy on
this ill-fated day.
We crawled all
the way from
Maryland to Ketu.
I was just
thinking of what
to do next if the
traffic persisted
when one young
boy accosted me
with a brand new
razor blade.
“Bros, either you
give me money
or I will tear your
face with this
blade. “Perhaps,
noticing that I
was frightened,
he also
demanded for
my handset. I
gave two
thousand and my
handset. The
next minute, the
young man
dashed to the
other side of the
expressway with
his loot
smiling,”Pascal
said.
A commercial bus
driver who gave
his name as
Samuel Adeleke,
said traffic
robbery has
become a ritual
at the Ojota-Ketu
axis. He,
however, named
Tipper bus stop,
Ketu and Ojota
by Bata as some
of the hot spots
for these
fearless teenage
traffic thieves.
The commercial
bus driver
lamented that
inspite of the
presence of a
police station at
Ketu bus-stop,
these boys still
engage in their
illicit deals
without any
harassment. “At
a time, the boys
went into hiding
when the
policemen at
Ketu attempted
to send them
packing. But it
seems they are
back on the road
again,”he said.
However, several
efforts by
Saturday
Vanguard to
reach the Lagos
State Police
Command
spokesperson,
Mrs Ngozi Braide
to comment on
the issue proved
abortive.
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