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By Job Osazuwa
Residents of Lekki-Ajah area of Lagos State have cried out over incessant robbery attacks by criminals. Many people have been dispossessed of their money and personal effects in that axis.
The area is known to be dominated by people in the upper and middle classes. It is a highbrow area that only a few people in the state can afford to live in but consistent robberies in recent times have made it unfashionable for some persons.
The attacks often lead to physical and emotional injuries on members of the public. Apparently without the fear of being arrested by the police, the hoodlums ambush and strike day and night, leaving behind tears and anguish.
This is coming eight months after former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, now retired, AIG Hakeem Odumosu, promised to rid the Lekki area of hoodlums and robbers disguising as beggars. Residents of the area have again pleaded with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to rescue them from the criminals’ grip.
In August 2021, the former CP had vowed to go after the hoodlums. In a statement by the state police spokesman, the former police boss said: “As concerned, dutiful and very responsible police officers saddled with the statutory responsibility of internal security, we are not oblivious of the apparent security challenges posed by miscreants masquerading as beggars in some parts of the country, particularly in Lagos State.
“In view of the foregoing, the command is urgently interfacing and indeed working in tandem with the state Ministry of Youth and Social Development, as well as other relevant authorities, to solve this social malaise.
“In reaction to the specific plight of the residents of Lekki and Ajah, Odumosu, whose primary concern was to provide robust security for the teeming people of Lagos State, directed the area commander, DPOs, other field and tactical commanders to immediately embark on 24-hour stop-and-search and vehicular patrol of every nook and cranny of the affected axis and similar areas requiring additional police presence.”
But the people have said that there was no respite from the hoodlums, claiming that the hooligans made a quick return to the roads soon after the vow by the police to chase them away.
A resident who pleaded anonymity for security reasons, said: “The bad boys and these beggars are back in large numbers and more vicious than they were last year. Today, they storm the streets to harass innocent motorists any time from 6pm. Their mode of operation is to come near your car in traffic.
“Sometimes, these beggars (aged between four and 14 years) spray your windscreen with soapy water without cleaning the screen to distract you and ask you to wind down your glass, so that the older ones can attack you. We all live in fear of these boys and street beggars every day.”
Another resident, Michael Chuks, pleaded with Sanwo-Olu, who once lived in Lekki before becoming the governor of the state, to act now and ensure that the Lekki-Ajah area is rid of bad boys and beggars/miscreants.
He lamented that the situation had become unbearable as the robbers and their operations send fear into residents, as well as motorists and commuters in transit.
“The governor needs to act now. The people are already insinuating that he is keeping quiet because of his second term ambition that he does not want to offend the area boys. Some are even saying that he is not doing anything to rescue the situation because of the presidential ambition of Bola Tinubu, particularly because of northern support.
“I don’t really know how long we have to endure this pain when even states in the North are already evacuating beggars from their streets, while Lagos State government is allowing them on the street of Lagos,” Chuks lamented.
Supporting this claim, another resident Mrs. Funmilayo Ekundayo, said there was a need for the state government and the police to act quickly before beggars and hoodlums take over the entire Lekki-Ajah axis.
According to her, residents live in fear of attacks on the roads by the hoodlums and beggars.
“They are no respecter of anybody. In traffic, your heart skips anytime you see them. And to make matters worse, they don’t show any fear as they move from one vehicle to another with their vicious looks and threats. Please, help to call on the police and the Lagos State government to come to our rescue,” she pleaded.
A commercial driver, Hamed Mustapha, who plies the Ajah and Epe route, said though street urchins have been robbing people in the area for years, the recent upsurge has created panic in the area. He expressed worry that it might further degenerate, if not quickly checked.
“It appears our government doesn’t care about what we are passing through. It is the primary responsibility of government to protect citizens and their property.
“I am sure they have special weapons that they use to crack car windows. Some of them operate with cut-to-size gun while others don’t. They are usually young boys. Some of the hoodlums are teenagers who operate with gusto.
“The number of beggars in the area is also very disturbing. The government needs to do something about it because, based on victims’ experiences, we can no longer differentiate the beggars from robbers,” Mustahpa said.
When the reporter contacted the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Adekunle Ajisebutu, he countered the residents’ claim of frequent robberies, saying the police were up and doing to get rid of all criminal elements in the axis: “It is not true that there’s frequent robbery on Lekki-Ajah roads.
“However, the command has strengthened visibility policing through surveillance, constant stop and search, intensive vehicular patrol along the axis and other parts of the state.
“Some of the suspects responsible for robbery in the area and other parts of the state have been arrested. They were paraded yesterday and will be charged to court immediately. Others have since been charged to court.”
