Samson Olanrewaju, a motorist, described his experiences with cutlass and knife-wielding robbers who attacked him and took his belongings.
Olanrewaju said the robbers, numbering up to seven, robbed him and other motorists in the Ido area, along the Third Mainland Bridge on Friday around 8.30pm.
The African Action Congress’s deputy chairman in the state, Olanrewaju, claimed, “I was returning from work in Lekki, so I drove down the Third Mainland Bridge towards Ido, not far from where the event took place. There wasn’t much movement. Two automobiles in front of me were already being robbed by the men. Traffic prevented me from turning around. I quickly wrapped the glass up so that I would at least be protected.
“However, as soon as they were done with those two cars, I just heard noises coming from the sides of my car. They then shattered the side window and demanded my phone and other items. They broke into my safe and took money out of it. They possessed knives and cutlasses. One of them took everything out of my safe and fled with a laptop, an iPhone 6, and a power bank.
Olanrewaju claimed that his agony was made worse when, upon reporting the event to the police, a police officer demanded payment of N3,000 in order for his case to be properly documented.
Another victim, Adetunji, claimed to have been a victim the same evening and informed our correspondent that the thieves had taken his phone, a wallet, and N15,000.
“It seemed like a movie. Despite hearing about these highway robbers, I never thought I would become one of their victims. They took advantage of the congestion, appeared out of nowhere, and began shattering windows, taking my car’s side mirror with them.
My phone, money, and N15,000 were all missing. When I went home, I discovered that my wallet was also not where I had left it. Some of them are teens, but they are young guys,” he remarked.
When contacted, Benjamin Hundeyin, the state police’s public relations officer, stated that the local police will evaluate their approach to enhancing road security.
“We have connected him (Olanrewaju) with the DPO, and they are working together,” the PPRO stated. He has provided the DPO with the data needed to examine his domain-specific anti-crime plan.
We’re working on it, and we think that after reviewing his tactics, anything similar won’t happen there again.
He further said the policeman that asked for N3,000 had been identified and invited to the headquarters while appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against her.