Despite ‘Operation Flush’, Traffic Robberies Thrive in Lagos

When the Lagos State Police Command launched  Operation Flush, it was targeted at tackling traffic robberies. One year down the line, the state is still riddled with incessant cases of such incidents, with rising attacks daily, especially in blackspots and traffic-prone areas, Osho Oluwatosin reports

In 2023, the Lagos Police Command launched ‘Operation Flush’ to specifically tackle traffic robbery in the state following incessant activities of these miscreants in the mega city. According to the PPRO, SP Ben Hundeyin, the operation would focus on some areas that are liable to traffic robbery attacks with immediate effect.

To further consolidate this stance, the state Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, launched a state-wide operation designed to identify exact trouble spots, especially along construction areas, and flush out criminals, particularly traffic robbers and other miscreants.

Unfortunately, one year after its launch, not so much success has been recorded as there are still reports of traffic robbers activities, with motorists including important personalities lamenting bitterly after becoming victims in areas that have always been hotspots for these ungodly activities.

Over the years, the Alapere-Gbagada route has always been a major venue for the operations of these traffic robbers and despite ‘Operation Flush’ promising to tackle crimes in places like this, nothing significant has been done.Lamentations

Countless traffic robbery attacks occur in Lagos but not everyone gets reported publicly because it has become a norm. Most of the time, it is only when it affects a popular personality that it gets featured in the media.

Some of the cases that were reported include the experience of the DPO of the Alausa division in the hands of traffic robbers in April this year. According to the report, the DPO had to part ways with her phones and other items during the attack.

“On the 9th of April,’2024, at about 11 pm three suspects who are members of an armed robbery gang surfaced from their criminal hideout and suddenly attacked the Divisional Police Officer, Alausa Division with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons and they made away with her Samsung s22 phone.

“Investigation revealed that the suspect forcefully snatched the handset from the DPO CSP Abaniwonda Tokunbo and also macheted her on the back. Further efforts led to the arrest of one Richard Etim aged 25.

“Investigation revealed that the ring leader has been robbing on Otedola Bridge for the past five years but changing his boys now and then. However, they were later arrested in Ogun state after they fled the scene of the crime but this is simply a case of ‘bush meat capturing the hunter.”

Likewise, A senior police officer said on March 15, at about 7:30 am, a motorist, while in the traffic, at Agungi, Lekki, two men, who disguised as beggars, approached him and started pretending as if they needed money from him, and forcefully robbed him of his phone and necklace and took to their heels.

The victim quickly alerted men of the Ilassan division stationed at Jakande Roundabout, and the police stepped up a manhunt for the two robbers. He said the effort of the policemen paid off as they arrested two suspects: Olumide, and Ibrahim, who they took to the station where they were being interrogated.

A few days ago, the president of Ughelli Rovers FC, Oke Umurhohwo lamented the operations of traffic robbers in Lagos after he escaped an attack from them by the whiskers.

Oke, in an update he shared on X (formerly Twitter), revealed that there was an attempted robbery on him in traffic in the Alapere area of Lagos state. He took a picture of the culprit, which he shared while narrating his experience with traffic robbers.

He also called on the police to do more in curbing miscreants’ activities, especially in traffic-prone areas.

“This guy and his cliq tried robbing me in the traffic around Alapere. They were hitting my car windows violently while trying to break my side mirror unless I wind down my mirrors for them. This can’t continue naa @PoliceNG. Your men need to do more in traffic-prone areas”

Several other victims narrated their experiences in Oke’ comment section. One of the victims said, “In the morning from 7up inward Alapere they usually operate around that Abiola gardens axis, in the evening Gbagada inward Alapere they usually operate from that under the bridge into the mid-level of the bridge.”

Another narrated that, “Lagos is a street whore right now.. things are getting out of hand. I was chased the other day at Lekki around 8:07 pm when returning home… it’s crazy and unbelievable that we are witnessing the devastation and menace with no control insight!”

Another person who was a victim at Orile explained how he was forced to screw down his glass by a traffic robber who threatened to blow his head off if he failed to cooperate.

“A few weeks ago at Orile bus stop one shouting I should screw down my glass or he will blow my head he needs me to give him money .. open his bag and show me the gun. I had to give him only cash with me 2k show him my wallet nothing more he left for the next car. I’ve complained here severally.”

Unfortunately, these victims are not police officers like the other ones above, what then is the fate of motorists who are civilians in the hands of traffic robbers?

The audacity of these miscreants has gone beyond attacking private individuals alone, government-owned vehicles have surprisingly joined the list of victims. A few days ago, confirmed reports have it that a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus was attacked, with passengers aboard robbed in broad daylight by thugs in the Orile-Alaba Suru area of Lagos State.

The Lagos State-owned BRT bus with registration number 2163 was coming from the Mile 2 area and heading to Lagos Island before the thugs suddenly attacked it.

Another victim narrated in a video: “There was traffic, we thought it was normal traffic and we were going. All of a sudden, we saw boys, plenty of them from Orile coming down to Alaba. The next thing, they stopped the three buses ahead of us, then they faced the BRT Bus, saying, A maa ba bus yii je” (we will destroy this bus), and started throwing stones.

“Everybody was robbed inside the bus as well. We were all robbed. They stole all our phones. I have to use someone else’s phone. Some of the staff were injured along with the vendor in the bus.”

Efforts of the Police

In the last few months, the Lagos Police Command  made some arrests in relation to traffic robbery including Olawale Odunsi, the ‘most wanted’ suspected traffic robber operating around the Ijora Badia area of the state.

In January, it was reported that some notorious traffic robbers were arrested in the Orile-Iganmu area of Lagos State. The arrest was made after a tip-off by members of the public.

The hoodlums, numbering about eight, were said to have emerged from under the bridge in a commando style, brandishing dangerous weapons such as machetes, broken bottles, sticks, and jack knives to dispossess innocent members of the public of their valuables inside the traffic in the area.

Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) also arrested two traffic robbery suspects in Ikeja, the Lagos State capital.

The suspects, Azeez Folarin, a 23-year-old man and Azeez Rilwan, ‘m’, 27, were arrested at about 7 am in front of Ikeja City Mall.

Spokesperson of Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest of the duo who specialise in using one of the suspect’s medical conditions to perpetrate the robbery.

However, compared to the state of traffic robbery in Lagos, the arrests made so far are minimal, and there are still so many arrests to be made.

On the most recent robbery attacks in Lagos, all efforts to get the Lagos PPRO, SP Ben Hundeyin to comment proved abortive as he didn’t respond to requests made at the time of filing this report.

Recommendations

In the absence of adequate security for Lagosians in traffic robbery-prone areas, there is a need for motorists to ensure they are always on guard, it is recommended that motorists have materials that can render some security assistance to them before help comes from the police.

Some personal safety measures include an Emergency Alert System which a personal safety alarm or panic button can draw attention if you’re in trouble, a phone with emergency Apps that can quickly alert authorities or loved ones in case of an emergency and pepper Spray: Legal in many places, pepper spray can be used for self-defence in dangerous situations.

For the Lagos State government, we have several security operatives in Lagos state and some of them must be stationed in volatile places most especially those where robbery attacks happen frequently. Alapere-Gbagada route is one of the hotspots in this aspect, the government needs to seriously deploy special forces to routes like this to make the city a secure one for the people.

Likewise, there is a need to review the punishment for miscreants arrested in traffic for robbery and it must be publicly known. Most of the time, the police only parade them and that will be all the people who will hear about these traffic robbers, no one gets to know the punishment or if they have been released to perpetrate this illicit act again. 

For effectiveness, the police or whoever is in charge must come up with more stringent punishment for offenders if indeed traffic robbery must be curbed.