There were
fears and tension in the Mushin area of Lagos State on Monday morning after
about 60 robbers operated on no fewer than eight streets and destroyed about 30
vehicles.
Some
residents told our correspondent that the robbers also raped some young ladies
and operated unchallenged for about seven hours.
The
hoodlums, who reportedly belonged to two cult groups – Akala boys and Toheeb’s
gang – ravaged New Balogun, Euba, Ayonuga, Tiamiyu, Haruna, Ereko, Oyedele
streets and Coker Lane.
A mosque on
Coker Lane was not spared as the worshippers, who slept in the mosque after a
vigil, were robbed by the hoodlums.
One of the
people in the mosque told PUNCH Metro that the robbers fired bullets for over
one hour before robbing from house-to-house.
He said, “It
was around 12am on Monday morning that we started hearing gunshots. It lasted
for about an hour.
“Around 1am,
they started going from house-to-house, robbing the occupants. They stole about
seven laptops from the house opposite this mosque. They stole phones, money and
everything they saw. They came inside the mosque and took our phones and money.
People were crying throughout the night. It was terrible.”
Another
witness said the robbers were not in a haste. He said they robbed till 5am and
came back at 6am to continue before leaving around 7am.
Our
correspondent observed that a generator was also removed from its shed by the
robbers. Vehicles parked on the streets were vandalised by the robbers, just as
two Toyota Hilus van were burnt.
Our
correspondent counted 20 vehicles, but some residents said about 10 damaged
cars had been taken away by their owners for repairs.
Kasali
Daramola, a driver who spoke while fighting back tears, told our correspondent
he owned one of the burnt vehicles.
He said,
“This is the third time they will do this to me. What have I done to them? The
first was a Lexus car my younger brother bought for me, which I was planning to
sell to acquire a commercial bus to take care of my four kids and wife. I sold
the scrap for N30,000. I used the money I raised to get a bus and I was paying
for it by installment. I have not finished the payment when they destroyed it.”
Daramola
said the men entered his house and some of the ladies living there were raped.
He said
attempts to bring in the police were abortive as they kept saying they were on
their way without showing up.
A resident
said, “For over five years now this area has not known peace. Will the police
say they cannot do anything about it? Around 7am that policemen came here, they
still saw some of those robbers around, but did not do anything. Why? I believe
the police know all the people causing trouble here and if they want to do
something, it doesn’t take them anything.”
Tosin
Gbolahan, a resident, said a policeman attached to Alakara Police Station was
with the hoodlums on Monday morning.
He said the
hoodlums took advantage of a carnival that was held the previous night on Ojo
Street to perpetrate the havoc.
The Police
Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Ngozi Braide, said she would
call back, but she had yet to do so as of press time.
Culled from
Punch
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