Thread: Nigeriens boost ranks of armed robbers in Nigeria

05.08.2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009

If for nothing else the police can beat their chest and congratulate themselves - they can do so for now being in absolute control of the city of Lagos. That was the situation for some armed bandits, who recently mistook the present Lagos for the old when they moved in with their armoury in their large numbers stormed house 28, Abiola Crescent, Ikeja, to attack, maim and rob the occupants of the building of cash and other valuables.

Just as they began their operation, a distress call went out to the Ikeja Divisional Headquarters. From all corners, the police came out in their numbers, armed to the teeth. The anti-robbery team of the Ikeja Division got to the scene first.

But the robbers, who were almost through with their operation and were about to leave with their loot, including a box of jewelry, ran into a hail of bullets from the policemen, who had already laid ambush around the area. One of the robbers, who tried to climb out through the wall fence of the building, was hit. He fell and died on the spot.

Eyewitnesses said the robbers could not match the firepower of the police and fled in all directions with the police hot on their heels. The police were said to have condoned off the entire place, stretching up to the Opebi/Sheraton link road in search of the bandits.

When the police thought they had lost touch with the robbers, somebody called in to say they sighted them, coming out of a canal in the Agindigbi area of the city. The police promptly fled in that direction again, they caught up with them, and another round of shooting ensued. The fleeing robbers took to their heels once more. Undeterred, the police went returned fire for fire.

Some of the fleeing robbers then threw down the bags strapped to their backs to make movement faster, but not before five of them had been captured alive. One of them in particular was, however, unyielding. He refused to give up the heavy bag he had on his back and ran back into the canal with it.

The police, who now spilt themselves into two with one group, walking down one end of the canal and the other through the other end, remained steadfast on his trail.

About 20 minutes later, those that went through the canal towards the direction of Ogba, another Ikeja suburb, sighted a group of the robbers in company of the young man, who had refused earlier to part with the heavy bag strapped to his back. The police went after them once more. The chase, this time, was more vigorous. It dawned on him this time that he either gave up the bag or he would be caught alive or shot dead. He flung it away.

While some of the policemen ran after them, some others picked up the bag. When it was opened, an automatic submachine gun (SMG), a locally made cut-to-size riffle, rounds of ammunition and charms of all sorts were found in it. The policemen gave the robbers the chase of their lives, shooting after them, but they could not catch up with them.

Just as they were about to give up, another caller phoned in to inform them about the location of the robbers. Police sources said the caller told them that most of the robbers, who disguise as security guards during the day, lived in an uncompleted building in the Agindigbi area of Ikeja, from where they stage their operations.

The police traced out the place. Alas! It was true. The criminals were there in their large numbers, masquerading as beggars at day time or even come out to engage in menial jobs such as mobile tailoring, shoe shinning and security guards in private homes.

All those arrested turned out to be Nigeriens. Police investigation further revealed that most of them are Niger rebels who had been involved in insurgencies against their country’s borders in the past.

The Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Lagos State Police Command, Frank Mba, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), and the Commandant, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), an anti-crime squad sponsored by the Lagos State Government, Hakeem Olusegun Odumosun, have severally warned in the recent past on the need for people be careful when engaging Nigeriens and Chadians as security guards.

At a recent community security campaign in Lagos, Odumosun warned: “In recruiting security guards, we must be wary of taking people who claim to come from Sokoto because they could be soldiers who fled war fronts from the war ravaged neighbouring countries. When they settle down after they have been engaged, they are likely to turn the weapons they came in with on their masters.”

According to him, Chadians and Nigeriens, many of them rebels, who managed to sneak into the country with their arms through our porous boarders, are all over the country and “they are being mistaken for our Hausa brothers because they are equally proficient in the language.”

The people, he said, could turn out to be armed robbers on the long run when engaged as security guards, advising that it was necessary to turn in anyone, being engaged as a house help or security guard to the police for scrutiny. Added to that, he said such persons must not only present sureties, they must deposit their passport photographs with the police and their employer.

odili.net/news/source/2009/may/9/214.html