By Olasunkanmi Akoni
LAGOS — Armed robbers in Lagos State went desperate in the early hours of Wednesday, as they held residents of Sebotimo Street, Mangoro, Agege Local Government Area of the state hostage and forced those without cash to issue cheques.

The robbers, mainly teenagers, went away with huge sum of money, handsets and other valuables. Other victims were even asked to go to ATM spot to withdraw sum money.

The robbers, according to a victim, who is a photo-journalist with one of the major dallies, stormed the area at about 2 a.m, ransacked almost every building in the street and subjected them to harrowing experience at gun point.

One of the victims (names withheld) told Vanguard that they made frantic phone calls to the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad special number, 767, but there was no immediate response.

“It was after the robbers left that the policemen came blaring sirens,” he said, adding: “The robbers were armed with shotguns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.”

The criminals, he explained, were young men between the ages of 17 and 20, adding that they invaded the area when there was no public power supply.

He said: “When they came into my house, they pointed a gun at me, demanding money. When I told them that I had none and that I am a poor messenger in my office, who will not be paid until end of the month, they forced me to write a cheque.

I started by writing cheque for N30,000 but they asked me to make it N40,000, which they collected and left. In the process of writing the cheque I made several errors as a result of the tension.”

The robbers later escaped through a canal.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/11/robbers-go-berserk-in-lagos-force-victims-to-sign-cheques/

Iliterate felow, the cheque can easily be countermanded and a valid means of identification must be provided before getting the value of the cheque, I usually laugh wen I see the naija police, I tink they deserves better pay they always look very poor hopeless and frustrated