Robbers Attack THISDAY Executive Director, Others in Lagos Traffic

The perennial traffic that has bedeviled Lagos in recent times has encouraged the resurgence of traffic robbers, who take undue advantage of the situation to fleece unsuspecting motorists.

THISDAY Executive Director and and Arise TV analyst, Mr. Emmanuel Efeni, his kids and other motorists, were the victims of some of these traffic robbers on the long bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday morning.

As was the norm in the past couple of months, motorists were stuck on the bridge due to the gridlock, when the robbers struck and dispossessed them of their belongings.

Armed with sharp objects, the gang in true gestapo style, broke the side mirrors of the cars stuck in the traffic and robbed them of their valuables.

The robbers held sway at the entire axis for  minutes before the motorists, who were tired of being sitting ducks, mustered together and attacked back.

Recounting his ordeal, he said the dare-devil robbers took advantage of the traffic gridlock on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to attack Lagos-bound commuters early Tuesday morning on Long Bridge.

He said: “The traffic logjam has become constant as a result of the partial closure of the Berger Bridge for the ongoing construction of the expressway.

“The robbers emerged from under the long bridge to attack motorists who were literally at a standstill. Several men with iron rods and cutlasses at about 5.15 am emerged from under the long bridge and started smashing the side  glasses of cars and dispossessing passengers of their valuables.

“They got to my car, smashed the glass of the front passenger where my daughter was sitting and were asking in northern intonation "where is the money?, bring the money”.

“We were terribly frightened as they moved from car to car. It took some group of men who mobilised other drivers from their cars who came out with their spanners, cutlass and whatever they could lay their hands on to confront the thieves.

“With the large number men approaching, the robbers took to their heels and jumped under the bridge with their loot.”

This incident came barely a week after the new

Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Hakeem Odumosu, declared a state of emergency on traffic management and control in the state.

One of the measures he mapped out was the review of the time for duty report for traffic officers to take care of the peak hours.

He said traffic duty officers will run shifts between 10am and 10pm while the second shift will be 10pm to 10am, providing 24hours coverage. 

This he said would ensure free flow of traffic and will also curb the menace of traffic robbery. The truth in that statement remains to be seen with the continuous attacks on motorists.