ctims of Sunday serial robbery
operations in many parts of Lagos,
southwest Nigeria, have been counting
their loses running into millions of naira
and thousands of foreign currencies. Worst hit are bureau de
change operators in Oke
Koto, Agege, Lagos
where 60-year old Alhaji
Muktaru Muhammadu
Yaya was a key operator and a victim. Alhaji Muktaru told
P.M.NEWS today that he
lost N25 million in local
currency another
£153,000 (about N39
million) to the eight robbers who were armed to the teeth and stormed his
office at about 10.30 a.m. yesterday. “I was sitting in front of my shop at Oke
Koto, Agege. My boy was inside.
Suddenly, I saw the robbers in two SUVs.
They shot into the air several times.
They grabbed me, pulled me inside, and
demanded for money. They had sophisticated weapons on them. “They pointed their guns at me. Two of
them also with guns ransacked my
shop. They saw the two ‘Ghana Must Go’
bags where we kept the monies and
carted them into their waiting SUVs.
They confidently went into the next shop where they shot Muktaru Jubrila
and Abdullahi Gaddo on the legs. Both
are presently undergoing treatment at
the hospital. They operated in our area
without any hinderance for about 40
minutes,” Alhaji Muktaru narrated. The businessman from Kabadagin Local
Government Area of Kebbi State,
Nothwest Nigeria, lamented that the
robbers carted away all he had laboured
for in life. “I have lost all that I laboured for. I
have three wives and 10 children. How
will I survive now? When I wanted to go
out later yesterday, I had to beg for
N200. Please, I need assistance from
well-meaning people and the Lagos state government. I pray that Allah
gives me the grace to cope with the
situation.” Another victim in Agege area, Mallam
Garuba Mukaila, 35, said the money
changers did not run away because they
thought the robbers were policemen. He said, “I was sleeping when the
robbers came. While I was trying to
dodge the bullets from the robbers, I
fell down and my right hand was
injured.” Another money changer at Agege, Alhaji
Mohammed Ibrahim expressed fears
that the robbers might come back,
saying “we want Governor Fashola to
beef up security in this area because we
always face a lot of problems.” Speaking with P.M.NEWS
correspondents, an eyewitness, Tayo
Adeyeri recounted that he saw four of
the victims which the robbers shot dead
while others were rushed to nearby
hospitals for treatment. He added that stray bullets hit a six-year
old girl and her grand mother who were
watching television at their residence at
15, Alfa Nla Street, Agege. It was learnt that the armed robbers or
other gangs also struck at Ifako
Gbagada, Oshodi, Mile-2 and Oba Akran
Road, Ikeja, all in Lagos. According to a source, the robbers first
raided a bureau de change at Gbagada
before moving to Ojodu and Ikeja.
Others were believed to have launched
attack on their victims at Anthony
Village, Oshodi and Itire. The robbers were confronted by a Rapid
Response Squad RRS, patrol team at
Guinness bus top, along Oba Akran
Avenue in Ikeja in a gun fight. Eyewitnesses claimed that the robbers
overpowered the policemen and killed
three of them. But another source said the RRS men
ran into the robbers and that was how
the robbers outgunned them, killing
three policemen instantly before they
continued their siege on the city of
Lagos. According to a source, the robbers who
struck at Anthony were operating on a
motorcycle. They shot some officials of
the Lagos State Transport Management
Agency, LASTMA who were on duty. One of the LASTMA staff, called Sosan
was shot on the legs. He reportedly lost
a lot of blood and he is presently
receiving treatment in a hospital. LASTMA spokesperson, Bola Ajao
confirmed the attack on Sosan, adding
that he is responding to treatment in
the hospital. The Lagos police Command Public
Relations Officer, PPRO, Ngozi Braide, a
Deputy Superintendent of Police, could
not be reached on phone. She did not
answer all the calls put through to her
phone. Contacted, the state Commissioner of
Police, Umar Manko confirmed the
robbery attacks, and the death of three
policemen. Manko advised Lagos residents to go
about their normal businesses without
fear because his men are on top of the
situation and policemen are battle
ready to secure lives and property. While Manko said he was not sure of the
death of seven other victims in different
parts of Lagos during the robbery attack
of yesterday.