Men of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command have recovered from “one chance” robbers some valuables belonging to 20-yearold Liberty Whitney from Warri, Delta State. The International Relations graduate from Lead City University, Ibadan, was on her way from school about 9.30p.m. on Sunday November 19, boarded an unpainted Vanagon bus from Oshodi to Mile 2. She was the only passenger in the vehicle as at the time she boarded.

A few minutes after moving, more passengers came on board and the bus was left with two empty seats. On getting to Rainbow bus top, two men boarded the bus and that was when the men unleashed mayhem on the passengers.

Whitney said the bus was slowing down to pick passengers at Cele bus stop when two guys in white native attires, having two guns each, asked the passengers to cooperate with them. She said: “While other passengers were screaming and jumping down from the bus, I was held by a man that had joined the bus earlier and unknown to others, was a member of the gang.



He pulled me back so I could be robbed.” Whitney added that when she made another attempt to jump down, one of the robbers, now three brandished a gun in her face with threat of getting shot if she didn’t comply, he asked her to part with her valuables.

She said: “One of them asked me for my phone, bag and money and when I was reluctant, he hit me on my neck-line close to my chest with the butt of the gun with him. I couldn’t breathe well for some minutes. I handed over all I had with me instantly, my travelling bag, polythene bag, laptop, phone,chargers and school certificates. “I was allowed to jump down from the vehicle. Barely some minutes later, I heard a gunshot then a guy was thrown off the bus.

He had been shot by the side. He hung on the back of the bus. I don’t know why he did that though but it was at this point that RRS men chased the vehicle with bikes. The robbers shot several times in the air but the policemen went after them.”

The robbers on getting to Mile 2, skedaddled from the vehicle, abandoning the bus. Whitney said she followed the bus and the police at a reasonable distance on a bike until the robbers stopped and ran. She was able to get her valuables and documents back except for her phone that the robbers took with them.



It was after she was calm she realised that the man that had been shot and clung to the back of the bus was the driver. He was fighting for his bus which was his only source of livelihood. The driver passed away on Thursday, 23rd November after all efforts to revive him at the Critical Care Unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, failed.