Estate residents lament as robbery of vehicle parts rise in Lagos



As the yuletide season draws near, criminal gangs have stepped up robbery operations in different parts of Lagos, specifically targeting vehicles parked in estates.

In the last one month, Saturday PUNCH learnt that so many car owners who live in estates have woken up to see their vehicles stripped of parts.



On Saturday, November 14, the robbers hit Yetunde Morgan Estate in Ojodu area of Lagos around 6am and burgled at least a dozen vehicles parked outside the houses of their owners.

One of such car owners, Mr. Victor Adigun, was about to leave his home that morning when he noticed that his car had been reduced to a shell of its former self.

The robbers smashed one of the windows of Adigun’s Lexus SUV to gain access into the vehicle.

“They removed my gear box, the window controls of my two front doors. I have not even finished fixing the car and I have spent N160,000 already,” he said.

According to him, one of the robbers might have been wounded when his vehicle’s window was smashed as he saw a smear of blood on one of his seats.

“If we live in an ideal society, all we need to trace the criminals is the blood sample one of them left behind. We are still shocked that while they burgled more than 10 vehicles, none of our security men at the gate of the estate could give any explanation about how the robbers came and left. Alone, I need almost N200,000 to completely fix my vehicle. I can imagine the expenses that other residents would have incurred too,” Adigun said.
He explained that he had already spent N150,000 to fix the gear box of his car. On the window that was smashed alone, Adigun said he spent N10,000.

“I have yet to fix the window regulators because I was told I would need N32,000 for that,” he said.

Other residents of the estate have the same stories to tell with many of them losing car parts worth hundreds of thousands of naira.

One of the residents of the estate had the headlights and roof rails of his SUV removed along with other car parts that are easily detachable.

The dexterity with which the robbers work has raised suspicion that they are car part dealers working with auto mechanics and electricians.

One of the victims in the estate told Saturday PUNCH that he had an intrusion alert in his vehicle, which could have triggered the alarm system in his car.

“Nobody heard anything because these people know how to disable any security device in a vehicle. They know what to look out for because they have the skills. I am sure if we go to Ladipo (auto part market in Mushin, Lagos), it is these same people who would sell vehicle parts to Nigerians there,” he said.

One shocked resident of the estate explained he had spent the night at work and only came home some minutes before 6am just to rest for a little while. He was alerted moments later that his car was among those burgled by the robbers.

The robbers had also removed his car’s window regulator, head lamps and gear box.

The story of these residents bears similarity to that of another neighbourhood in Iyana Isolo area of Lagos where residents woke up to learn that a number of vehicles in the front of their houses had been raided and robbed of auto parts.

One resident shared a photograph of what the robbers did to his car. The robbers had removed the entire unit on the dashboard, which contains the CD player, air conditioning and fan regulators. Only the wires connecting these regulators could be seen in the gaping hole left on the dashboard.

It would be recalled that in August, a suspected thief who was caught while trying to steal the brain box of a car, was beaten and set ablaze by an angry mob in Apapa area of Lagos State.

The suspect was reportedly caught around 4am by some residents, who tied him up after beating him and left him till morning when they set him ablaze.

Few months ago, some residents of Harmony Estate, Ifako, Gbagada, Lagos caught an auto parts robber with a peculiar modus operandi.

The robber drove into the estate in a white Hummer SUV like a wealthy man to avoid suspicion.

His targets were gear boxes, brain boxes and window controls of vehicles.

Residents had said they had been noticing that their vehicles had always been burgled and parts removed but had not been able to catch any robber in the act.

The day the robber was caught around 7am, the auto parts he had already removed were found in the vehicle. Residents descended on him and brutalised him with anger until the police were called in.

As the auto part robberies continue to rise, more residents believe that the police should do more to monitor and clamp down on possible suspects in auto part markets at Ladipo in Mushin, Owode Onirin at Mile 12, Ebute Metta and Ikeja, where they believe the loots from these robbery operations invariably end up.



We’d hand over criminal traders to police – Lagos auto part market leader

Our correspondent spoke with the President of the Ladipo Auto Market Association, Mr. Kingsley Ogunor, who said he doubted that the criminals were working for auto part traders under his jurisdiction.

He said, “All these allegations are insinuations, I have not heard of any case where a robber is caught and he said he was sent by an auto part trader here.

“But I cannot rule out such things. Anybody can steal with the hope that they would be able to sell to a trader here. We always tell our traders that they must never associate with criminals or buy auto parts from criminals.

“I know in every 12, there must be a Judas, I cannot completely vouch for the traders here. But we try to inculcate a high level of discipline in traders doing legitimate business here. We don’t protect criminals, anytime anybody indulges in a criminal activity, we hand them over to the police,” he said.



Bring security men for profiling, police urge residents

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Joe Offor, said that police authorities are aware of the problem and doing all they could to handle the situation.

But he said a solution once proffered by the police had not been followed by the residents of the estates.

Offor said, “During a recent forum with representatives of residents of Lagos, we advised that estates should bring their security men for profiling so that we would get to know their characters and whether they are fit to safeguard such places’ lives and property.

“We would be able to give them tips that could assist in handling incidents in their neighbourhood. We have tried to find a way of synergising with private security outfits to handle security in their areas of assignment.

“All those present at the forum showed excitement at the proposal but we have heard nothing from people about it. We have not got much cooperation from residents of the state.

“There is no way we can post a policeman to man every house in Lagos. We need the partnership of these people. In the areas where these robberies are prevalent, we would intensify our vehicular and foot patrol,” he said.


http://punchng.com/estate-residents-lament-as-robbery-of-vehicle-parts-rise-in-lagos/

Wait oo dem beat dis man or motor jam am

Oya now, God will catch them one by one.