Many residents of Lagos State have expressed grave concern over the resurgence of armed robbers on the streets and roads of the commercial city, calling for proactive measures to curb the menace.
Lately, there have been reported cases of raids by criminals on some streets, especially Lawani Street, off Ishaga Road, Surulere, where armed robbers dispossess their victims of cash and properties on the night of July 18.
Some concerned residents said that robbery cases had been taken the streets and now extending to major roads, even in broad daylight.
A source who is a resident of the area claimed that, “They robbed the Surulere area last week and the week following.”
He also explained how some knife-wielding hoodlums had ambushed and robbed him of his phone and cash.
Some residents in the Akowonjo-Egbeda area of the Alimosho local government area, recounted how the armed robbers invaded their houses in the early hours of July 13 and carted away their valuables possessions.
Also, one of the traders along Benesther Junction who identified her name as Tayo said that the syreet urchins arrived the area at about 3am and shot sporadically into the air.
Tayo said that, “They came with one bus that without a number. They came down and started firing shots.
“At the end of the day, I lost my phone to them, while they robbed some traders too who sell here in the middle of the night.
“They dont care about the presence of police in the area, neither were they in a hurry.
“They divided themselves into sections and started robbing people of their valuables.
Other concerned residents expressed their minds on the growing robbery in the state. They associated the surge in criminal activities in the state with the current economic situation of the country, calling on the police to step up efforts at fighting criminal activities in the state.
One of the who spoke under condition of anonymity said that, “Robberies are skyrocketing on the mainland in Lagos and I fear it would get worse with the state of the economy.
“Commercial bus operators are now suspected to conniving with robbers.So, people should be very careful especially while moving around Lagos at night.
“It looks like highway robberies are back in full force in Lagos.
“There is nothing anybody can tell me. I am buying pepper spray and a pocket knife because of the robberies on Lagos roads.”
Reacting to the spate of robbery in Lagos, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, emphasized the need for residents to report robbery incidents at police stations to help the force to better strategize.
Hundeyin said that, “Our statistics do not reflect an increase in robberies to even talk of daytime.
“But if it’s true that there are robberies, that means people just decided to keep them to themselves.
“These kinds of cases underscore the importance of reporting.
“Even if you feel like you won’t get your stolen things back, at least, report so that at the end of the month, we can get statistics to know which particular areas things are happening and at what particular time.
“We encourage people to report incidents to help us improve on our anti-crime strategy.”
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