PALPABLE fear has gripped
residents of Sabo-Oniba
community in Ojo Local
Government Area, Lagos
State, following incessant
attacks by men of the
underworld. In fact, the
attacks have become so
regular that some of them
have re-located to other
areas for safety of their lives.
Worse still, the bandits have
become so daring to the
extent of attacking the
palace of the Bale of the
community. For now, the
people seem to have taken
their fate in their own hands
by resorting to the
involvement of local vigilante
groups to ensure their
safety.
Crime Alert gathered from
those interviewed that they
have been having sleepless
nights as a result of those
attacks. They recounted their
heart-rending experiences
on the hands of the bandits.
One of the victims, Samuel
Eze, a 26-year-old man from
Nkanu local government Area
of Enugu State, and also a
tenant at Alhaji Irorum street,
off Sabo-Oniba bus stop said
he will forever live with the
trauma of his ugly
experience on Tuesday,
August 6, 2012.
It was a day he witnessed
the bestiality in some human
beings. On that day, dare-
devil bandits clad in military
uniforms, invaded his house
and raped his sister to death
in his presence. The fair-
complexioned tall man
narrated the chilling story of
how the bandits carried out
their deadly mission to Crime
Alert in tears.
He said: “They forced their
way into our house, pointed
a gun to my face asked me to
give them N50,000 or else
they would kill me, but one
of them turned to my 15
year-old sister and together
with others, they rape her to
death. That was a very
traumatic day for me
because I saw my own sister
raped to death.”
A female victim narrated that
robbers invaded their house,
pointed a gun to the face of
her husband and forced him
to bring out all their
valuables and “after giving
them what we had, they
brought out N2000 and gave
to me because I am
pregnant. They said I should
give it to my unborn child.”
Other residents relived their
ugly experiences on the day
another gang of robbers
invaded their street and
killed a night guard after
which they forcefully
dispossessed them of their
property. The landlord of one
of the houses the bandits
broke into, Mr. Jelili Irorum
told Crime Alert that it was
not the first time such thing
would take place in the area.
Irorum said: “My brother, I
am short of words because
nothing I say to you will
bring back our stolen
property or help us bring
these hoodlums to book
because, we have written to
the Lagos State police boss
complaining bitterly about
our sleepless nights but to
no avail.
Even during this latest attack,
I personally called the
Ilemba-Hausa police station
but we didn’t get their
response not until I called
Area E commander who gave
an order to the station. They
only arrived the scene after
the robbers had leisurely
perpetrated their atrocities
and left. We are no longer
sleeping with our two eyes
closed. Please, we need the
government to come to our
aid.”
Another victim who pleaded
anonymity told Crime Alert
that three weeks ago, a six
month-old baby was sliced
into two by the robbers
when the family failed to
meet their demands and that
the pain of loosing their first
child made the mother drink
a poisonous substance that
killed her. The victim also
disclosed that the widower
relocated to an unknown
area after loosing his first
child and wife.
When Crime Alert visited the
palace of the Bale of Sabo
Oniba community, he was
said to have gone out but
one of his cabinet members,
Alhaji Usmani, showed us the
walls and windows of his
palace that was pierced by
stray bullets of the robbers.
He said that the bandits have
been operating freely in the
community without
hindrance and that the
palace of the Bale located on
Oseni street was not left out.
Usmani noted: “In fact, it has
become so incessant that
Goriola street dominated by
the Igbos introduced a
vigilante group named
“Bakasi” to act as a
watchdog since the police in
the community are not
always available.” He also
applauded one Alhaji Saka a
leader of a vigilante group
named “neighbourhood”
stating that he has been the
only source of relief to them.
“We are grateful to Alhaji
Saka and his group for
saving us.
Theirs was the group that
chased the robbers away
after a gun battle. We are
fervently praying that the
Commissioner of Police
whom we were told has zero
tolerance to crime will
remember us and check the
excesses of these men of the
underworld in our area. We
are also praying that the local
government should provide
buses and ammunition to
these vigilante groups that
assist the police to curb
crime in the area,” he stated.
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