Woman in hospital after falling victim of commercial bus robbers on Kirikiri Road, as residents seek police help


ONCE, only identified as home to a maximum-security prison, Kirirkiri Road, Apapa, is steadily gaining notoriety as one of the black spots in the Lagos metropolis.


The road, which leads to Mile Two - Oshodi Expressway and Boundary Market in Ajegunle, has become favourite, for the type of robbers and fraudsters Lagosians call 'One chance' on account of their method of operation.


Hardly does a day go by without passers-by coming to the aid of victims, who were pushed out of the buses after they had been robbed.


One such victim still in hospital on account of injuries she sustained at the hands of 'One chance' robbers is Mrs. Mariam Ezirim, a mother of five, who was lucky to be alive to tell her story.


From her hospital bed at Bayo Ogunro's Clinic along Kirikiri Road, Ezirim told The Guardian:


"On Thursday, I left home to the Boundary Market to buy some food items for my restaurant. I was waiting for a commercial bus at First Benue Plateau Bus Stop along Kirikiri Road, when suddenly, a taxi cab pulled up close to me and called for passengers going to Boundary Market.


"Because I had been waiting for quite sometime, I decided to board the cab.


" Unknown to me, the driver, the young woman at the front seat and the three men at the back, were 'One chance robbers'.


"Shortly after we drove off, the girl brought out N100.00 to pay the driver as her fare, but he refused, claiming the correct fare was N200.00 as earlier bargained.


" A heated argument ensued, with the girl, boasting that she was worth more than the N200.00 the driver was asking for.


"She pointed to a carton and said: 'Look at this carton, it is full of dollars. The money you are asking for is chicken change to me.'


"At that point, the driver threatened to report her to the police unless she agreed to share the dollars among them including the other fake passengers. He said they too must also have their share of the dollars."


One of them turned to Ezirim and said: 'Madam, you must be a lucky woman. We are going to share the dollars together. God has buttered our bread, or are you not interested?' which Ezirim offered, No!


Explaining how she got the dollars, the girl said she was a prostitute and was dating one wealthy Alhaji whose name she tried to use for moneymaking rituals, but failed.


So she decided to steal the Alhaji's money, searched his wardrobe and made away the carton full of dollars.


The fake passengers again turned to Madam Ezirim and asked: "Madam, do you want your daughter to be a prostitute? You better join us to share the money."


In anger, Ezirim responded: "God forbid that my daughter should become a prostitute" which was the last thing she remembered as she lost consciousness.


Ezirim told The Guardian she was driven to somewhere, which she discovered later, was in Ijesha area, but could not give the address.


She was taken into a small room, where she regained consciousness but could not talk due to the effect of whatever drug that was used on her.


"Honestly, I didn't know where I was. I was only praying silently that they should not kill me," she said.


They dispossessed her of N50,000.00, leaving her with N300.00 as transport fare.


They also asked her to send them her bank account number so they couold pay in her share of the dollars.


Ezirim said further: "One of the fake passengers who gave his name as 'Frank' gave me three phone numbers: 0731140179, 08100576718, 07028750567 to call them and that I should bring them N59,000.00."


She rushed to her daughter's office to get her bank account number.


" I narrated the dollar business to my daughter and she told me: 'Mummy, it is all lies, it is 419' and that was when I started coming back to my senses."


After regaining her senses, Madam Ezirim became so ill that she was rushed to Bayo Ogunro Clinic.


When The Guardian visited the clinic, sympathizers were seen discussing her plight, while some went to her ward, praying for her quick recovery.


The victim's husband, Mr. Jonathan Ezirim, in an emotion-laden voice said: "Honestly, this is double tragedy to me. Just two days ago, I lost my elder sister, which I'm yet to recover from the shock. Here again, my wife is on sick bed. Where do I go from here to get financial assistance?" he asked.


One of the sympathizers, Mr. Emeka Okoye, said the menace of criminals in the Kirikiri area was becoming unbearable and that residents slept with one eye open.


"The rate of criminal activities, particularly robbery on this road, is on the increase.


"The Police Commissioner should please deploy more men to patrol this road and save us from criminals."


It would be recalled that a few weeks ago, a 70-year-old pensioner, Pa Ajani from Ogun State died after he was drugged and robbed of his N200,000 pension money by 'One chance' robbers on the same Kirikiri Road.