INTRODUCTION

IT, I meant a car was almost stolen from me.
It was on an evening, I was driving a Toyota highlander, 2009, around 7/8(if you have ever heard of Ajao Estate before airport road), 7/8 junction is a familiar place, along that route.

I had waited patiently for the traffic gridlock around Osolo Way, to subside, but men, it was a "bumper to bumper" situation. This, opened the windows of "heaven" to the vendors, and traders on the road to make brisk business (or sales), that day. Whilst I was in the car cruising, decided to put on the radio, and tuned the frequency, to my favourite genre of music-jazz. Later on, switched it over to ROCK N ROLL. As the music was becoming "furious" with metallic instrumentations, I began "virtually playing my bass guitar", and nodding my head, alongside, with the AC blowing some cool air pass my "skinned" head. Not baldheaded ooo!

After about 30minutes on that non moving traffic, I negotiated my way through the the next street, off the main road. Please do pardon me guys, I had no idea what the name of the the street was.

Here's a landmark. If anyone has being to 7/8 Osolo way before, the gate entrance to the street is close to a Tantalizers fast food store. The gate stays open through out the day, till by almost 12:00am, when its closed and manned by the local vigilante group.

Driving straight down carefully through the street, with my ROCK N ROLL music playing violently at the background, I gradually approached the exit gate that would link me from that street, then back to CHIVITA avenue, close to canoe.

As I applied the brakes of the car to gradually halt my advance, before steering to the left side of the road, SUDDENLY, as I was still waiting for other cars to make right of way for me to move(we know in Lagos, no one waits for you to drive. You've got to take the initiative to drive ahead of other motorists with care though), a man was at the passenger side of the car, KNOCKING on the window, saying, "Oga, that place where you drop that person na wrong place". I stuttered, and said, " emmmm, o..g..a..., wetin you talk again"?. These time, my mind was just erratic. I couldn't figure out what he was trying to do, or say. Suffice to say that I had already dropped off a neighbor, along that street, and wind up the glasses of the car while I left.

This man, was not dressed properly, just the kind of casual dressings you'd see a normal policeman, or LASTMA official would appear in after the close of work in the evenings.

While he was still knocking on the glass, I instinctively flipped my left hand toward the master button, and locked all the doors. By the time I realised that there was already free right of way for me to move, I looked left/right, and accelerated the accelerator pedal straight to the floor, and zoomed off.

As I got to Eleganza, almost close to CHI avenue, I quickly turn off my ROCK N ROLL music. "e pain me sha, to turn off that music". But when you're faced with something beyond you, no one tells you to be calm.

I got home, sat down, and pondered over what has just happened. Initially, i thought he was just a LASTMA official, trying to do his work.

It was there and there I realised that it was an attempted car snatching exercise.

The Lord really sent His angels to guard oner me that day.




LESSONS LEARNT

1. Always drive your car, with the glasses wind up, and all doors locked, if you've got an AC system operational.

Not doing so exposes you to danger and nefarious activities from me. of the underworld.

2. These days, there are lots of impersonators of security agencies in Lagos, and elsewhere.
What they just do is to monitor your every day movements, then strike one day.

3. Try as much as possible to create alternative routes. What I mean is to plan your daily route. Have different roads you drive from and back home after close of work.

4. When approaching a traffic stop, or you're in traffic, always be observant of vendors/traders that lurk close to your car.

5. Do not engage in any form of communication whilst driving, or you're at a stop.
If you must do that, be extremely careful.

6. If I hadn't locked all the doors, what do you think would ha e happened? May be the guy that was conversing with me, has an accomplice standing somewhere a few meters away from the where I was sitting (driver side).

In my view, the ploy was to get me trapped in that conversation, then the accomplice suddenly comes from no where, and forcefully opens the driver side door, with a dangerous weapon, forcing me either to drive them to no man's land, or get out of the car, while they drive off.

These guys that commit these crimes have spent years simulating different scenarios on how to trap their victims. That's how kidnappers get their victims.


Just decided to pen down this experience to abreast car owners of what these people are capable of doing.


PS: You could share your own experiences for other persons to learn from.




Regards,
Joseph
08066643532(call/WhatsApp)

Lesson learnt

@cashrange660. Was really a nightmare. Everything was kinda like a movie,.how it all unfolded.

errrm

did he knock with a gun?

if he didnt,den he simply wanted money to smoke weed

dem don tiff car for my hand before even kidnap me join sef

and cars snatchers dont joke around

This is more of an article. Too fictionalised.

Judging by your comical undertone, it wasn't serious..

If it was, u'll too shook-up to write this.

I don't quite think that person was a robber, probably a random begger. But I enjoyed your funny illustrations. Funny chap, blasting rock 'n' roll. Lol.

@diportivo. You no serious o! Person wet knock door like say, he wanted to break it?

Kidnap!? You come still de hear, without Ransome payment?

Jagermeister. No wahala. Haven't you hear d of people that have experienced terrible things settling down to write a book?

One mustn't try to act the "movie" before penning down such experiences na.

Decided to do it that way, to a little bit move from my normal pattern of writing.

Thanks for the commendation part sha.

All na fun, with real life happening nio.

Just get the message there.

If he wanted to snatch the car, he'll try opening the door before knocking the window, it's when unable to open that he'll call for your attention so you wind down the window in order to hear him, only for him to put his hand in and unlock the door.
I guess he saw something (probably a phone) which he wanted to pick in the center console...

@timifakay. Gaskiya kam. My phone was places on the gear knob area.

Probably phone or traffic thieves. I don't think anyone would want to snatch a car in traffic and anybody bold enough to snatch a car would have a gun anyway. I experienced this last year at Abule egba Lagos during the last fuel scarcity. It was around 7:30pm I was driving in a slow traffic and because of shortage of fuel I didn't wind up. I had my 2 phones in my car, I was charging one while the other was just sitting there. Suddeny this dude started hitting my driver's side window trying to say something. first I ignored him, then he hit the car from the rear until I got agitated and decided to look sideways to curse him or listen to what he got to say, as I looked sideways his partner in crime peeped through the passenger side and took my phone. Luckily he took only 1 of the phones, LG G3. As soon as I noticed this I wind up my glasses but it was too late, dude already got the phone. I opened a thread for this here

https://www.nairaland.com/3192078/guy-stole-lg-g3
Up till today I still get notification whenever any new sim has been put in that phone and I get periodic notification from the antivirus that came with the phone whenver they try to unlock it. I have several pictures of people that have owned the phone... the rest pictures I been getting are from a particular girl. I just don't have the time to start tracing the phone.

@greenhulk. I have never thought about that either.
I think that's the trend these guys kinda employ these days.
What you think?
Terribly sorry for the theft of that phone.
Almost every Lagosian must have experienced that.

TRYGO:
@greenhulk. I have never thought about that either.

I think that's the trend these guys kinda employ these days.

What you think?

Terribly sorry for the theft of that phone.

Almost every Lagosian must have experienced that.

They have been using this tactic for sometime now. luckily for me the phone that was stolen was the cheaper of the 2 phones I had. Since then I'm always wind up and car central locked whenever I am driving. And I try as much as I could to keep my phones out of reach when in traffic. these guys will try every means to distract u just to steal ur valuables in traffic.

"Oga, that place where you drop that person na wrong place" How does this equate to attempted car snatching, i know that area and car thefts or phone snatching dont happen there

Thanks for the info. I had a similar experience at the popular Wuse market in Abuja couple of months ago. After closing from work and was driving towards Berger junction, though, my glasses at the front were both down and was in a traffic congestion. A young guy walked up to me and said "oga water dey comot from your motor" I was about to look, but my mind suddenly reminded me that my Air Conditioner was not on, and my radiator was not having issue, so how could water be coming out from my car. While he was still talking of which I never gave attention, I just looked at my side mirror by the passenger's side and noticed that there was someone standing in between the back and the front door probably waiting to pick my handset which was connected to the car charger. Immediately I sighted the guy, I quickly raised my glasses up. Seeing me doing that, the two of them just disappeared in no time. All these happened in less than a minute. Plenty tricks are being used daily by these disgruntled elements as they normally operate in pairs. One will distract you while the other will complete the job. Pls shine your eyes when driving.

TRYGO:
@diportivo. You no serious o! Person wet knock door like say, he wanted to break it?

Kidnap!? You come still de hear, without Ransome payment?

Jagermeister. No wahala. Haven't you hear d of people that have experienced terrible things settling down to write a book?

One mustn't try to act the "movie" before penning down such experiences na.

Decided to do it that way, to a little bit move from my normal pattern of writing.

Thanks for the commendation part sha.

All na fun, with real life happening nio.

Just get the message there.

ThankGod for you. You for enter Keke Napep go house that night.

@spinna. Na you talk that one o! You think those guys ha e a designated place, where they operate?

@jagermester. You just de funny sha. God no free make I enter keke b DAT o!

@samblaks. "Wai!!! Ai ma ka yi sa'a basu ma bude kofan ba" .Meaning, you were dammed lucky, your instincts, kinda sent a quick one to your oblongata. If you hadn't responded, that would ha e being it.

My friends car was stolen in similar fashion, he drives to church for early morning service @ the weekend. Try and avoid driving early if you can. 5 am - 6am. When he stopped at the gate of the church, a bike stopped beside him and a guy came and knocked on his glass and when he wound down the glass, the guy shouted that my friend almost knocked them down, while he was trying to argue with them that nothing of sort happened, they pointed a gun @ him and took of with the car, the car was never recovered. Never interact with strangers on the road, particularly when they seem to want to assist u or make conversation.