₦airaland Forum

mekaboy: [b]A LOT OF QUESTIONS DEY THIS STORY ABEG.

THE 10 ARMED ROBBERS CAME TO YOUR FRIENDS ESTATE WITHOUT A CAR? OVER POWERED THE OPC SECURITY MEN AT THE GATE OF THE ESTATE, WITHOUT ANY NOISE? WAITED FOR YOU TO DROP YOUR GF AND COME BACK?

I THOUGHT IF THEY CAME TO ROB THE ESTATE, YOU AND YOUR GF WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST TO LEAD THEM IN.

THE WAY YOU NARATED THE STORY, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU WERE STANDING FACE TO FACE WITH THEM AS THEY WERE ROBBING, AND I KNOW ARMED ROBBERS DONT LIKE PEOPLE STANDING FACE TO FACE WITH THEM.

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THEY TOOK THE CAR KEYS FROM THE EXPAT AND PARKED CLOSE TO YOURS? AND YOU WATCHED ONE OF THEM CLIMB THE FENCE AND POINT A GUN AT THE GATE MAN IN THE NEXT COMPOUND AND ASKED HIM TO OPEN THE GATE.?

FOR YOU TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GATHER THIS MUCH DETAIL ABOUT THE INCIDENT, IT MEANS YOU WERE STANDING AND WATCHING WHILE THE PERFORMED FOR YOU. ANYBODY WHO HAS BEEN A REAL VICTIM OF ARMED ROBBERY, WILL TELL YOU THAT THE LAST THING ROBBERS WILL WANT TO DO IS HAVE YOU STAND FACE TO FACE WITH THEM.

SO I WONDER HOW YOU MANAGED TO WATCH THEM CLIMB FENCE, BREAK WALL, COLLECT CAR KEY, GO AND PARK NEXT TO YOURS ETC. YOU FOR TELL US SAY THEM GIVE YOU KEY MAKE YOU GO DRIVE THE CAR PARK SINCE YOU WERE ONE OF THEM.

OP ABEG, I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THIS STORY ACTUALLY HAPPENED, BUT WHAT I AM SURE OF IS THAT IT DID NOT HAPPEN TO YOU. YOU GATHERED SO MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ROBBERY, THAT I AM BEGINNING TO WONDER IF YOU WERE STANDING UP OR LYING DOWN TO WATCH ALL THIS HAPPEN.

BEFORE I FORGET, YOU SAID YOU ALWAYS ENCOUNTER ARMED ROBBERS, AND IN EACH OCCASION, YOU CONFUSE THEM WITH YOUR JAMES BOND DRIVING MOVES , SO YOU MEET THEM OFTEN ABI?

AND IF IT REALLY HAPPENED TO YOU, A NORMAL NL PERSON WILL TELL THE STORY THAT WEEK, WHY WAIT TILL 2 AND HALF MONTHS? WELL I THANK GOD FOR THE LIFE OF THE PERSON THAT TOLD YOU THIS STORY YOU ARE TELLING US.[/b]

mekaboy: [b]A LOT OF QUESTIONS DEY THIS STORY ABEG.

THE 10 ARMED ROBBERS CAME TO YOUR FRIENDS ESTATE WITHOUT A CAR? OVER POWERED THE OPC SECURITY MEN AT THE GATE OF THE ESTATE, WITHOUT ANY NOISE? WAITED FOR YOU TO DROP YOUR GF AND COME BACK?

I THOUGHT IF THEY CAME TO ROB THE ESTATE, YOU AND YOUR GF WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST TO LEAD THEM IN.

THE WAY YOU NARATED THE STORY, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU WERE STANDING FACE TO FACE WITH THEM AS THEY WERE ROBBING, AND I KNOW ARMED ROBBERS DONT LIKE PEOPLE STANDING FACE TO FACE WITH THEM.

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THEY TOOK THE CAR KEYS FROM THE EXPAT AND PARKED CLOSE TO YOURS? AND YOU WATCHED ONE OF THEM CLIMB THE FENCE AND POINT A GUN AT THE GATE MAN IN THE NEXT COMPOUND AND ASKED HIM TO OPEN THE GATE.?

FOR YOU TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GATHER THIS MUCH DETAIL ABOUT THE INCIDENT, IT MEANS YOU WERE STANDING AND WATCHING WHILE THE PERFORMED FOR YOU. ANYBODY WHO HAS BEEN A REAL VICTIM OF ARMED ROBBERY, WILL TELL YOU THAT THE LAST THING ROBBERS WILL WANT TO DO IS HAVE YOU STAND FACE TO FACE WITH THEM.

SO I WONDER HOW YOU MANAGED TO WATCH THEM CLIMB FENCE, BREAK WALL, COLLECT CAR KEY, GO AND PARK NEXT TO YOURS ETC. YOU FOR TELL US SAY THEM GIVE YOU KEY MAKE YOU GO DRIVE THE CAR PARK SINCE YOU WERE ONE OF THEM.

OP ABEG, I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THIS STORY ACTUALLY HAPPENED, BUT WHAT I AM SURE OF IS THAT IT DID NOT HAPPEN TO YOU. YOU GATHERED SO MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ROBBERY, THAT I AM BEGINNING TO WONDER IF YOU WERE STANDING UP OR LYING DOWN TO WATCH ALL THIS HAPPEN.

BEFORE I FORGET, YOU SAID YOU ALWAYS ENCOUNTER ARMED ROBBERS, AND IN EACH OCCASION, YOU CONFUSE THEM WITH YOUR JAMES BOND DRIVING MOVES , SO YOU MEET THEM OFTEN ABI?

AND IF IT REALLY HAPPENED TO YOU, A NORMAL NL PERSON WILL TELL THE STORY THAT WEEK, WHY WAIT TILL 2 AND HALF MONTHS? WELL I THANK GOD FOR THE LIFE OF THE PERSON THAT TOLD YOU THIS STORY YOU ARE TELLING US.[/b]

I just feel sad at your response. Please if you are so concerned, visit or send to Maroko Police station and make inquiries. I feel tempted to post pic of my car afterwards and scan the police report, but that will show up my identity. I no need palaver i beg.

Life has been too troubling. I really wanted to post this sooner but never had the time or inclination. I just hope you all get to be more security conscious. We all need it.

Take care and stay blessed.

cheddarking: Jarus

I definitely want to argue AGAINST state police if chance dey

Ok, I would want to argue for.

USAMarshal: Your own brain needs more upgrade. You clearly see a smoothly fabricated story and you can't tell.

My friend, please if you have time visit the Maroko Police station and make inquiries.

Not that I need you to believe anything.

I hope everyone who reads this simply becomes more security conscious.

Simple.

The Maroko Police Station is right close to oniru market on the alternative route after the lekki phase 1 gate. Step in there and visit and ask, my friend.

It just feels sad to know that there are people whose first reaction to tragic events is such as yours.

E no go happen to you, ever, by the grace of God.

shymexx: The state of affairs in Nigeria makes my blood boil all the time... Sometimes, I just feel like slapping senses into the heads of the 150 million docile Nigeria living happily around filth, crime, the highest murder rate in the world, poverty etc.. without even blinking an eye and asking their leaders questions... Nigeria is too blessed to have that many disenfranchised people! Perhaps, that's why Nigerians are the happiest people in the world a la suffering and smiling...

There are many blueprints for revolutions on the internet - who's going to be our Nigerian 'Jesus', Karl Marx, Harriet Tubman, MLK, Huey P. Newton, Malcolm X, Friedrich Engels, Emmanuel Barthélemy, Fidel Castro, Mao Zedong etc..??

Let's get it, Nigerians!! These corrupt elites can't hold you down, believe that!

Let's open a website called "WHY NIGERIA" and have people ask questions and blow whistles regarding corrupt or negligent acts in the public sector.

Am game.

uceee: [color=#009900]I understand you'll probably be extra paranoid now. What you need to do now is to take a break. Leave Lagos, travel abroad if possible. Just go for a holiday. When you get there, try not to discuss the incident as much as possible. You really do not need people pitying you. Then come back after some time. Handle this carefully so that you emerge stronger. Good luck![/color]

No worries at all o, not looking for pity my dear. Just looking for peeps to be more security conscious. This happened in August, and am just writing about it now, so some time has passed.

Sept12: Seen.

Agungi to Marwa then round to Citilodge? Please...I am curious to know how they decided on Noble close. What was their conversation in the Car like? Did it seem like they knew where they were going? like they had info? Because i had originally thot it was a local actio...i.e people who know / the urchins that live around that Lekki Phase 1 "Ocean side"....(hence my suggestion that your friend lived in Goshen).....your story throws a spanner in my line of thought. What were they discussing in the car? which language? Calm voices or agitated? They sound well trained or adhoc?

I know it must be difficult and it is an experience you would rather forget ..... but please. It might help other people survive or avoid such an experience. Everything i do now is guided by that singular experience....I know dogs are a key part of any defences....especially dogs sooo crazy even you cant leave your house after specific times.

They were very calm. In the car, they were laughing and cracking jokes. None of them seemed high. They spoke Yoruba all through.

Honestly, for about three weeks after the incident, i felt ok, and just glad to be alive. But probably owing to some delayed reaction, in the last few weeks i find myself waking up almost ten times every night to go around and listen for noises in the compound and the street and check windows and doors. When I actually parked just because someone was behind me in traffic one day, realized what the effect of the incident has been.

As for me, I am already planning very extra-ordinary security measures for my house. Burglar proofing is not enough. One needs a way to literally dissapear once alerted of entry.

coogar: it's getting to that point where people would have to stand up and take matters into their own hands.....

That's OPC. . . . . ONE such attempt. . . .that has caused more problems, i think! That's why I say self help need's to start from properly re-thinking the nation.

The debate on State Police is one such issue to be properly thought out.

Sept12: Bros. Try to fear O. I am sure you left contact addresses at the police station too....? I am naturally ultra paranoid. I knew the Noble close story...and heard how you narrated to the victims how your car had been snatched and that you had never been to 'that part of Lagos before'....but hearing your part of the story brings the events to an even starker reality. I am guessing the estate you dropped off your friend is Goshen estate.....if they robbed and killed someone in that estate almost 2 hours before the Noble close incident that means the police had absolutely nothing on them for about 4 hours!

I tire.

It was Bakare Estate, off Aguingi.

Sept12: ....that is the same way i fear the robbers may read the story.

Do you know oh! I actually mentioned the exact name of the police station and DPO on the mainland that were involved in the car vandalization and asking for a bribe afterwards, when I first wrote the story, but fear come catch me, say, what if they read the story and come after me? So I removed those details.

pappilo: This story is false. A major operation like this would have made the tabloids at least and savvy lekki dwellers would have reported it on social media. I hope dDeep sight and Sept12 are the same people otherwise I am cancelling my trip to Naija this December!

I really dont know what to say to the bold. I posted this story simply to make my countrymen aware of our security issues. If you are interested, you can visit or send to the Maroko Police Station to confirm the incident.

The Maroko Police Station is close to the Oniru Market, in Oniru, V.I. extension.

Sept12: Trust me. I know the story. My bad....12 of August. Sunday morning. You were asking which area of Lagos is this....the street where they killed the policemen is Noble close. And i will never forget how stupid i thought it was for Policemen to drive into a close...all the way to the end of it (about 6 houses long)...turn and face the exit of the close and then sit in their car when they had been informed there was an armed robbery event going on. I was told there was a mopo there too ...who when they arrived got out of the car and deployed in the bush strategically while the normal police men were radioing in their car and gisting. I know your story bro.

You are right! Sunday morning, and it was a close!

Sept12: I know this story. it is particularly personal to me since i know some of the victims. it happened on the 12th of September around Elf estate near Citilodge hotel. I was called at 2 am and i called the police on their emergency number. Trust me....i wasnt being robbed...but it was the most terrifying experience i have ever had. The police told me they would send people there when i called the first time. Around 2 am. i then thought it would soon be over. Alas about 1 hour later when i couldnt reach the persons phones that i knew in the story, i called the police again.....the same guy told me the thieves had killed the first set of police they sent.....'it is very sad my brother....but lets trust God...he will do it....we have deployed an armoured tank...' I remember going to the scene and seeing so called bullet proof doors removed so easily, burglary proofs? what burglary proofing? I saw the police pick up shot up and the bodies of the first set of police sent still in it. I was scared. To think that 2 hours of robbery happened in Lekki? 4 minutes from V.I where I walk about at such late hours?

It was traumatic to say the least. Just remembering the events now is sending such chills down my spine that i cant even type without shaking. It was an experience. An eye opener. If thieves come to your house and are these prepared...you are done for.

Well this must be yet another experience, because mine happened 11th of August. . .was reported at Maroko Police Station.

shymexx: I can't blame the miscreants because at the end of the day, everyone is trying to survive - life is about the survival of fittest...

That's what you get when you have few elites and the majority living on $1 a day...

The armed robbers have nothing to lose...

To be honest, that was my first thought. These people have obviously reached the limit of their frustration and are ready to die. Unfortunatley what they dont recognise is that no be only them. They saw me driving an expensive car and probably assumed i was a rich kid. They wouldnot know, of course, that this was a man who had almost committed suicide this same year after a broken wedding, a lost job, lost finances and then they had to add their own to it.

I keep thinking about the men they killed. Somebody's father, somebody's husband, somebody's brother. . . just trying to make an honest living for their families.

God dey.

Odunnu: I liked reading his posts too especially when he's slugging it out with my all time best friend Viaro.

. . . .which friend has since gone AWOL. He was a great Nlander, would have loved to meet him.

Say me hi to him.

Ricoluv: Is it just me or does anyone notice how much the date typeset on the letter differs from that of the body of the letter?.Me thinks the letter was written and signed sometime before and its only just now that it's being tendered.

This is a VERY interesting observation and looking at it, it is indeed curious.

It is not news anyway, that many politicians are asked to sign undated letters like this as a pre condition for running as deputies. . . . . .

Remember Ngige was made to sign something like that, which he later repudiated

[quote author=Sisi_Kill]Raising hand for State Police (Not supporting it or not supporting it, saying I support it as a good debate topic )[/quote]

OAM4J: Yeah, "State Police" will be a good topic.

BIG ISSUE ! ! ! !

thehomer: Why? What is this comparison supposed to show?

That creation is the natural outward radiation of that eternal element that is called God.

Hallo Jarus, I'd like to indicate my interest in the monthly political debate. I am particularly interested in the SNC topic. . . . . .

plaetton: I have always and will always be for capital punishment. I lean more towards the laws of moses with regard to crime and punishment.
Mob actions are usually as a result of pent-up frustrations, and are more common in failed states where citizens have little or no access to transparent justice.

My concern is for the innocent. What restitution is possible after someone is wrongly executed either by the law or a mob? Better a hundred guilty men go free than one innocent man killed.

Katsumoto: I don't think there are any rules preventing any posters from debating. Obinoscopy is not one of the regulars in this section but he gave a very good account of himself. I think it will come down to how many indicate a willingness to partake and the positions they take. If it comes down to a vote, people are likely to vote for posters that they feel will advance their positions better.

Well I hereby indicate interest.Last one was very enriching.

SNC is an issue that bothers me a lot.

Mods, is it impossible for those of us who have not been very active in the Politics Section to participate in the monthly debates?

I am particularly intersted in the upcoming one on SNC. Can wenot tag team with more established politics section posters?

wiegraf: @sight
Whoa....

So, aluu, your feelings towards jungle justice after your ordeal?

You see, I read an article in Thisday recently about Capital Punishment by Funke Aboyade. I have always been against capital punishment (and more so against mob/ jungle justice) but she made the interesting point that its people who have been victims of murderous attacks that are in the best position to really know what the issue is.

Honestly, when I saw the careless impunity with which these boys shot people dead - people who are husbands,fathers, brothers to someone out there), the way the ra.ped that young newly engaged girl, I cannot sincerely say that I wouldbe remorseful if they were caught and "aluuued".

Nevertheless, I do not and can not support mob justice espceially the gruesome sort.

Pastor Kun: @Deepsight
If I didn't know you better I would have thought your story was a nollywood script. One thing that puzzles me though, why did the robbers decide to carry you around
on their rampage?

They were paranoid about the car's security features, that's why. The kept asking me about such, but I told them there was nothing. The car actually has some interesting features which could have been dangerous for them,so maybe they thought its best to hold me at gun point in case of anything. In fact it was the security features that forced them to abandon it on the mainland.

I also hope you remembered to give a testimony about your miraculous escape in 'your' church.

You know, as anti-church as I am, i was billed to be in church that morning on the invitation of same friend of mine, and I was seriously desirous of speaking about the incident. But the whole of that day was spent at police, visiting the car, etc.

I soon dropped the idea. Anyway I guess I have now given an online testimony on NL!

[quote author=Area_boy]Wow! that is some story... so in roughly 4 hours of operation, the police didn't show up? That is indeed scary to say the least. SO basically they had no get away car and had to wait for you to drop someone off and come back?.[/quote]Obviously they planned to take the car within the first house, but then came across a better option when i arrived on the scene.

And what of the so called OPC that usually man that estate gate in the first place? did they take a leave? or are they the robbers?

According to the OPC men,the robbers jumped over the gate and locked them in their gateroom. However the police said the next day that the believe the OPC were involved because earlier that morning, each of the houses that had been attacked had been visited by OPC men claiming to be "collecting numbers of gate men as a survey" or some other such balderdash.

Hi Katzumotz.

I would only remind you that many of the points you raise regarding Zik can equally be said of Awo.

Please try to be unbiased: I enjoy reading you cos u are usually very objective.

Don't try to paint one a saint, and the other a demon.

Be fair to both. When you see circumstances that qualify the actions of one, please also see circumstances that qualify the actions of the other.

It would be stretching things to typify Zik as some greedy monster only intent on power, and claim that Awo was not similarly obsessed.

Cheers.

Abagworo: Only death can stop David Mark from being the next President.

lORD KNOWS O.... MAYBE!

I have this feeling that no matter what happens, its Namadi Sambo that will be in Aso Rock when Jonathan is done.

About two and a half months ago, I went out for a friend's birthday dinner somewhere in Ikoyi. It was a pleasant evening and we chatted late into the night, eventually leaving Ikoyi at about midnight. As my friend didn't drive, I was going to drop her off at home along the Lekki axis and then return to Victoria Island where I live. The road being good, open and well lit, I had no concerns whatsoever about any security problems. I have hardly heard of any security problems on that road anyway, and being a chronic lover of the night, I am more than used to driving in the dark.

In just about ten minutes or so we had arrived at the estate where my friend was residing. It's a gated estate and they have these OPC guys guarding the estate. I thus was not surprised, when, after honking, an armed man came out of the gate. I put on the car's inner lights and wound down and explained to him that I was just dropping my friend off and would be right back. He said ok, and opened the gate. From that point it took me just about five minutes to drop off my friend and get back to the estate gate.

When I got to the gate, the same man who had let us in stood in front of my car pointing his gun straight at me. At this point, I still did not think there was anything amiss. I simply thought he was an over zealous OPC security guard. I put on the inner lights again and mouthed that I just came in to drop someone, and would be leaving now.

He simply shouted at me - "Will you come down now or I blast your head off!"

It was only at that point that I looked around the car and to my shock, there were about ten heavily armed men surrounding the car, all with raised automatic rifles pointing at me. Two of them were now banging the windows saying that if I move an inch they would shoot into the car.

To be honest, i didn't budge at first. I just sat there contemplating my options. My car is a very large 4 x 4 and I was seriously contemplating stepping on it and blasting them right out of my way and right through the gate. I have in the past been attacked by armed robbers and on each occasion I shocked the robbers with some serious James Bond Driving and got away clean. However something just told me (and I thank God I did not try it, as later events showed) to just play it cool and do as they said. So I came down from the car.

As soon as I came out, they attacked me with the butts of their guns and bundled me into the boot. They then reversed the car and parked it in a corner. At this point I could see them mulling about the first house in the estate. Then they produced a very large iron hammer (someone later told me its called an "Adam's Hammer", I don't know, but it was the largest hammer I have ever seen in my life. It took two of them to hold it.) With the hammer they blasted open the gate and told the security men to lie down on the floor. Then they brought me out of the back of the car.

My friends, this was how these guys took me at gun point on a three hour robbing, killing and ra.ping spree, never letting me out of their sights and holding me at gun point into each of the houses they broke into.

In the first house, after robbing the house, they shot dead one of the security men, for reasons I don't know.

Thereafter, I was bundled into the back of my car and all ten of these guys somehow crammed into the car. About three of them were bundled in the back sitting right on my head, about four in the rear seat and three in front. They sped out of the estate gate and from that point all the way to the lekki expressway, put their guns out of the windows and began shooting indiscriminately into the air. It was the loudest and most present show of gun fire I have ever experienced in my life, simply harrowing. At the same time I thought to myself that it would be ok if they just shot me: I have not had the best of years this year, and being put out of misery was not altogether the worst thing I could think off. So with this flurry of gunfire, I strangely became calmer and sort of resigned to whatever would happen.

They drove for a while and entered another neighborhood. Same thing again - they parked outside a house - a very large and well fortified house. Jumped out, bringing me along at gun point. I kept begging them to take things easy, to relax and not to kill me. I was asked to shut up or be shot. I was amazed at the ease with which they broke into the house. Again the hammer. One slam and the gate flew open. They took the hammer inside and to my shock, just three giant slams and the window beside the frontdoor was thrashed, buglar-proofing, wall and all. Inside the house they broke down all the doors in the same way, robbed three expats in there, beat them quite a bit, and then took their car keys. They then drove the expats car out and parked beside my own and then attacked the next building. In this instance one of them simply climbed the wall and pointed a gun to the guard there and asked him to open the gate. Again they took me at gun point, this time with the security men from the first building and the present building, they marched us all in at gun point.

By this time very loud alarms had gone off from this house and neighboring houses and I was surprised that they seemed unperturbed. They took the hammer again, two big slams and the sliding door (and buglar proofing) gave way with a deafening crash and they entered the house. I was asked to lie down on the floor with the security men while they robbed the house. There was only one young girl in the house, she shouted that she had 200k on her, and gave it to them. They then took her into a room and ra.ped her, as she told us after the whole thing was over.

It was while they where doing this in the room that all of a sudden they rushed out and began to seem agitated. They paced around the living room sounding agitated. Apparently the alarms had attracted the neighborhood security guards who came in a while pick up van. It had blinking lights on it and as such they probably thought it was the police.

They all rushed out at once and you would not believe the gun fire that ensued. It was lengthy, horrible and deafening and we just lay on the floor praying for our lives. At some point I heard them speaking Yoruba saying that they must not forget that boy with the Land Cruiser o, make sure you bring him. I just stayed on the floor. Then there was silence.

After about five minutes of silence we all crept out of the house, the girl came out as well and told me that she had been ra.ped and that she and her fiance just rented the place that weekend in preparation for their wedding, and he only travelled to PH on business.

We went to the gate of the house and right there on the floor were two dead bodies. They had shot the security men dead and their pick up was riddled with bullets.

At that point neighbours began to come out and apparently the police were on their way.

The robbers encountered the police in their escape and outgunned them, killing a police officer instantly in the process. That brought the death toll to four.

Sometime later, the police arrived as though they were going for a war. Tanks, Armoured Personnel Carriers, more than a 100 policemen. Too much, too late.

Later that morning, my car was found abandoned on the mainland, around Itire / Oshodi. I had used the neighbor's phones to call my family as soon as the robbers left: to my warm delight every single member of my family arrived the scene before five a.m, though they live very far away.

Now, my friends, I come to the reason I posted this story and you will find this quite shocking.

1. For all the huge numbers the police came with, there was ABSOLUTELY ZERO crime scene investigation. Those guys must have left loads of evidence and pointers in their reckless operation and the police just went inside, picked up a bag on the floor belonging to the lady I think, and some bullet shells on the floor. Within two minutes, their crime scene investigation was over.

2. My car, when found abandoned, was towed to a close-by Police Station. I went there that same morning to look at it. It was riddled with bullets as the robbers had engaged the police. Other than this, and the fact that they made away with the remote keys, there was nothing wrong with the car.

Would you believe that by the time I returned two days later to tow the car away - right there in Police Custody, the car had been vandalized, and the brain box and all electronics removed? ? ? The Police said they know nothing about it. Not only this - they then insisted on being given "something" before releasing that car. They said that otherwise, the car will be retained as "evidence". . . or that there is a procedure, etc etc. People, can you believe this? ? ? ?

Now tell, me, if this is the same Police force that is addressing bigger issues like Boko Haram and others, what hope for security do we have in this country, save the grace of God?

What serious change can anyone expect from the Nigerian Police within, say the next fifty years even ? ? ? ?

This is the same way that we cannot expect serious change with Nepa or is it called PHCN. This is the way we cannot expect serious change with corruption. Because overall, both the government and the people lack the political will and thirst for change.

Someone once told me that all that Nigeria needs is for everyone to do the right thing. That, with respect, is a fantasy, and happens no where. What Nigeria needs is a vigorous, people led, determined and sustained revolution with a clear vision defined by strong revolutionary leaders. This needn't be violent: but must be sustained in terms of protest. And that change must start with a Sovereign National Conference. The National Assembly can't do it because they are an interested party: you don't expect them to place sensible legislation which would jeopardize their current millions, do you?

Nigerians have become so used to misgovernance that we now have a twisted worldview which does not recognize "protestable" issues. We accept all the daily nonsense and impunity and simply go home, look for petrol or diesel, fill the gen, and have a good night's rest. Nothing else matters.

But in the Arab world, one man setting himself on fire in frustration led to the Arab Spring.

Maybe I need to set myself on fire.

I saw this thread a while ago and wanted to contribute something but was pressed for time.

The little bit I want to say is about an ugly personal experience which says a lot about security and violence in Nigeria.

About two and a half months ago, I went out for a friend's birthday dinner somewhere in Ikoyi. It was a pleasant evening and we chatted late into the night, eventually leaving Ikoyi at about midnight. As my friend didn't drive, I was going to drop her off at home along the Lekki axis and then return to Victoria Island where I live. The road being good, open and well lit, I had no concerns whatsoever about any security problems. I have hardly heard of any security problems on that road anyway, and being a chronic lover of the night, I am more than used to driving in the dark.

In just about ten minutes or so we had arrived at the estate where my friend was residing. It's a gated estate and they have these OPC guys guarding the estate. I thus was not surprised, when, after honking, an armed man came out of the gate. I put on the car's inner lights and wound down and explained to him that I was just dropping my friend off and would be right back. He said ok, and opened the gate. From that point it took me just about five minutes to drop off my friend and get back to the estate gate.

When I got to the gate, the same man who had let us in stood in front of my car pointing his gun straight at me. At this point, I still did not think there was anything amiss. I simply thought he was an over zealous OPC security guard. I put on the inner lights again and mouthed that I just came in to drop someone, and would be leaving now.

He simply shouted at me - "Will you come down now or I blast your head off!"

It was only at that point that I looked around the car and to my shock, there were about ten heavily armed men surrounding the car, all with raised automatic rifles pointing at me. Two of them were now banging the windows saying that if I move an inch they would shoot into the car.

To be honest, i didn't budge at first. I just sat there contemplating my options. My car is a very large 4 x 4 and I was seriously contemplating stepping on it and blasting them right out of my way and right through the gate. I have in the past been attacked by armed robbers and on each occasion I shocked the robbers with some serious James Bond Driving and got away clean. However something just told me (and I thank God I did not try it, as later events showed) to just play it cool and do as they said. So I came down from the car.

As soon as I came out, they attacked me with the butts of their guns and bundled me into the boot. They then reversed the car and parked it in a corner. At this point I could see them mulling about the first house in the estate. Then they produced a very large iron hammer (someone later told me its called an "Adam's Hammer", I don't know, but it was the largest hammer I have ever seen in my life. It took two of them to hold it.) With the hammer they blasted open the gate and told the security men to lie down on the floor. Then they brought me out of the back of the car.

My friends, this was how these guys took me at gun point on a three hour robbing, killing and ra.ping spree, never letting me out of their sights and holding me at gun point into each of the houses they broke into.

In the first house, after robbing the house, they shot dead one of the security men, for reasons I don't know.

Thereafter, I was bundled into the back of my car and all ten of these guys somehow crammed into the car. About three of them were bundled in the back sitting right on my head, about four in the rear seat and three in front. They sped out of the estate gate and from that point all the way to the lekki expressway, put their guns out of the windows and began shooting indiscriminately into the air. It was the loudest and most present show of gun fire I have ever experienced in my life, simply harrowing. At the same time I thought to myself that it would be ok if they just shot me: I have not had the best of years this year, and being put out of misery was not altogether the worst thing I could think off. So with this flurry of gunfire, I strangely became calmer and sort of resigned to whatever would happen.

They drove for a while and entered another neighborhood. Same thing again - they parked outside a house - a very large and well fortified house. Jumped out, bringing me along at gun point. I kept begging them to take things easy, to relax and not to kill me. I was asked to shut up or be shot. I was amazed at the ease with which they broke into the house. Again the hammer. One slam and the gate flew open. They took the hammer inside and to my shock, just three giant slams and the window beside the frontdoor was thrashed, buglar-proofing, wall and all. Inside the house they broke down all the doors in the same way, robbed three expats in there, beat them quite a bit, and then took their car keys. They then drove the expats car out and parked beside my own and then attacked the next building. In this instance one of them simply climbed the wall and pointed a gun to the guard there and asked him to open the gate. Again they took me at gun point, this time with the security men from the first building and the present building, they marched us all in at gun point.

By this time very loud alarms had gone off from this house and neighboring houses and I was surprised that they seemed unperturbed. They took the hammer again, two big slams and the sliding door (and buglar proofing) gave way with a deafening crash and they entered the house. I was asked to lie down on the floor with the security men while they robbed the house. There was only one young girl in the house, she shouted that she had 200k on her, and gave it to them. They then took her into a room and ra.ped her, as she told us after the whole thing was over.

It was while they where doing this in the room that all of a sudden they rushed out and began to seem agitated. They paced around the living room sounding agitated. Apparently the alarms had attracted the neighborhood security guards who came in a while pick up van. It had blinking lights on it and as such they probably thought it was the police.

They all rushed out at once and you would not believe the gun fire that ensued. It was lengthy, horrible and deafening and we just lay on the floor praying for our lives. At some point I heard them speaking Yoruba saying that they must not forget that boy with the Land Cruiser o, make sure you bring him. I just stayed on the floor. Then there was silence.

After about five minutes of silence we all crept out of the house, the girl came out as well and told me that she had been ra.ped and that she and her fiance just rented the place that weekend in preparation for their wedding, and he only travelled to PH on business.

We went to the gate of the house and right there on the floor were two dead bodies. They had shot the security men dead and their pick up was riddled with bullets.

At that point neighbours began to come out and apparently the police were on their way.

The robbers encountered the police in their escape and outgunned them, killing a police officer instantly in the process. That brought the death toll to four.

Sometime later, the police arrived as though they were going for a war. Tanks, Armoured Personnel Carriers, more than a 100 policemen. Too much, too late.

Later that morning, my car was found abandoned on the mainland, around Itire / Oshodi. I had used the neighbor's phones to call my family as soon as the robbers left: to my warm delight every single member of my family arrived the scene before five a.m, though they live very far away.

Now, my friends, I come to the reason I posted this story and you will find this quite shocking.

1. For all the huge numbers the police came with, there was ABSOLUTELY ZERO crime scene investigation. Those guys must have left loads of evidence and pointers in their reckless operation and the police just went inside, picked up a bag on the floor belonging to the lady I think, and some bullet shells on the floor. Within two minutes, their crime scene investigation was over.

2. My car, when found abandoned, was towed to a close-by Police Station. I went there that same morning to look at it. It was riddled with bullets as the robbers had engaged the police. Other than this, and the fact that they made away with the remote keys, there was nothing wrong with the car.

Would you believe that by the time I returned two days later to tow the car away - right there in Police Custody, the car had been vandalized, and the brain box and all electronics removed? ? ? The Police said they know nothing about it. Not only this - they then insisted on being given "something" before releasing that car. They said that otherwise, the car will be retained as "evidence". . . or that there is a procedure, etc etc. People, can you believe this? ? ? ?

Now tell, me, if this is the same Police force that is addressing bigger issues like Boko Haram and others, what hope for security do we have in this country, save the grace of God?

What serious change can anyone expect from the Nigerian Police within, say the next fifty years even ? ? ? ?

This is the same way that we cannot expect serious change with Nepa or is it called PHCN. This is the way we cannot expect serious change with corruption. Because overall, both the government and the people lack the political will and thirst for change.

Someone once told me that all that Nigeria needs is for everyone to do the right thing. That, with respect, is a fantasy, and happens no where. What Nigeria needs is a vigorous, people led, determined and sustained revolution with a clear vision defined by strong revolutionary leaders. This needn't be violent: but must be sustained in terms of protest. And that change must start with a Sovereign National Conference. The National Assembly can't do it because they are an interested party: you don't expect them to place sensible legislation which would jeopardize their current millions, do you?

Nigerians have become so used to misgovernance that we now have a twisted worldview which does not recognize "protestable" issues. We accept all the daily nonsense and impunity and simply go home, look for petrol or diesel, fill the gen, and have a good night's rest. Nothing else matters.

But in the Arab world, one man setting himself on fire in frustration led to the Arab Spring.

Maybe I need to set myself on fire.

plaetton: Greater longevity as per our current perspective. Its all about perspectives. It is the perspective that defines time for us.
In a just few seconds or minutes of R.E.M sleep, we encounter situations in our dreams that seem to last several hours or even days. In tis case, less than a minute of sleep time= several hours of dream time.

As per the person in the couch and person on a jet,their relative motions(in this case 1000km/h) are far too insignificant to show any appreciable difference or change in the type of time perspective you are talking about. You should know that. Besides, both are under the same gravitational force.

You know very well that that is an analogy: and consistent science should hold that if indeed time is a function of motion, then people moving at different speeds should experience time differently - no matter how minuscule the difference.

As such, if this is true, three minutes should be experienced differently in a space craft heading to the moon, (to dismantle your flimsy excuse of same gravitational field) than it is experienced sitting on your couch. Not just experienced differently, but should in fact be a different length of time.

Anything less, and the notions become inconsistent.

thehomer: How is it besides the point? We keep picking better and better methods of measuring whatever we measure. For that reason, we've refined how we measure length and mass.



I"m sorry but I still find this question pointless. Let me see if I can make this more explicit.

I pointed out how we measure a second and based on that larger units like days and years to shorter periods like micro- and nano- seconds. Yet you say you're asking me what the existence of e.g a second is based on not how we measure a second. That is as pointless as asking me what the basis mass is while ignoring how we measure it. It looks as if you simply wish to conflate what we're measuring with the various perceptions that people can have of what is being measured.

I could say that the basis is the fact that we're intelligent creatures that have come up with independently verifiable means of assigning values to features of the universe that we find important. Though I would think that this is a basic assumption that we make to interact with other people so I still don't see how your question helps you in your quest for God.

Now that I've given my answer on various levels, I'd like to see what you think the "existence of the duration is contingent" on.

Well let me make this more explicit and simple. You agree that what you gave me is a measurement. A measurement of what, please?

What is being measured.

And, if it were not measured, would the thing being measured still exist or not.

Simple - unless you wish to adopt absurdity by telling me that nothing is being measured.

Great thread, great debate.

The amalgamation was a terrible and heinous mistake. The other large and diverse third world colonies of the Brits - India and Sudan - have both broken up - at the cost of millions of lives in bloodshed in war.

The role of religious and cultural mindsets in each instance should be noted.

Nigeria, after war and innumerable pogroms, is STILL counting the bloodshed.

That sums it all up.