■ Screen all residents, embattled community begs police
In 1977 when the then military administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd) came up with the idea of hosting the Festival of Arts and Culture (Festac), an estate located along the Lagos/Badagry expressway was built to provide accommodation for the visiting sports men and women across the globe.
However, as soon as the sports festival was over, the Federal Government called for bidders and the estate was automatically named after the festival and became known as Festac Town. It was more of a prestigious estate to live in. Its structural aesthetics and serene environment was pleasing to behold.
However, all that is now history as the Festac Town of today is fast turning to an eyesore and nest of criminals. Most of the original owners have since sold their flats to ready buyers, while the sprawling estate has transformed from being a residential community to a commercial centre. It has indeed become an all comers affair. The inability of government to provide adequate security for the town made up of successful Nigerians has made it a fertile ground for armed robbery and other social vices.
Back in the days, the highbrow area of Festac was named Cocaine Avenue by residents due to the magnificent houses and luxury lifestyle of those who live in the enclave. In the world of 419ers, it is believed that Festac is Nigeria’s headquarters of yahoo yahoo boys as internet fraudsters are usually called. But the attention of the internet rats seems to be shifting fast from wire fraud to kidnapping and robbery.
No doubt, Festac Town, in recent times, has become a soft target for suspected militants who have held Ikorodu area of Lagos under siege for months unabated. This group of hardened criminals based in the creeks seems to have found partnership in their folks within Festac town, thus making it easy to have unhindered access to the community through a canal that runs across the estate. Instances of their easy access to the estate include that of last Tuesday when the hoodlums invaded three commercial banks along 4th avenue and carted away millions of naira. They were also responsible for the recent abduction of Mrs. Toyin Nwosu, wife of the Deputy Managing Director of The Sun Publishing Limited, Steve Nwosu.
Another source of worry in the security circle is a syndicate based in Lagos Island but still operates in Festac Town. They make use of some of luxurious houses in Festac/Amuwo Odofin town as a hideout. Once they strike, they smartly relocate to their houses on the island till the dust goes down. They are said to be responsible for the unending cases of high profile kidnapping in Festac Town.
Countless deaths and abduction
In 2012, residents were greeted by the news of the sudden disappearance of Ms Cynthia Osokogu, only daughter of General Frank Osokogu. Investigation into that revealed that Cynthia was strangled to death in a hotel at Festac by her assailants, who thereafter left with her student identity card, phones and some money. Report said the beautiful and vivacious Cynthia had chatted with two undergraduates on Facebook for months.
Six persons, among them two university students, a pharmacist and an employee of the hotel where the 24-year-old post-graduate student was murdered, were arrested and charged to court.
Not left out was the CEO of The Young Shall Grow Motors, Chief Vincent Obianodo, who was attacked by some gunmen on August 27, 2013 on 22 Road in Festac Town, killing his driver and police escort. He narrowly escaped death.
The multimillionaire businessman was returning home from work when an SUV crossed his vehicle in a lonely area, and some armed men opened fire on Chief Obianodo’s car. His orderly, who attempted to fire back, was killed; his driver who was trying to escape was also killed while Chief Obianodo was shot in the arm.
Others were the celebrated case of the arrest of a 33-year-old man, Kelechi William, who strangled his lover, businesswoman Njideka Lizzy Nzewe, on July 19, 2014.
According to reports, the late Njideka, who was to travel to the United States of America on July 24, 2014, with her kids, had gone to the bank in the company of Williams to withdraw N4 million.
However, at about 2.30 am, Williams allegedly tied her hands, strangled her and thereafter, made away with over N8 million, her phones and her Range Rover SUV. The case is still pending in court.
That incident was shortly followed by the brutal killing of a middle-aged man by his two elder brothers who thereafter, kept his body inside a room in their apartment and were selling its parts in bits until they were arrested.
Others were a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Shalewa Daramola, who was shot dead also in Festac Town. The deceased, in his 40s, was killed in front of the party’s secretariat located on 3rd Avenue, ‘K’ Close, House 12 Festac Town, where members of his party were sharing Sallah gifts.
Just as unending cases of murder and assassination attempt continue, several persons have equally been abducted and huge ransom paid.
Before the advent of suspected militants’ sudden interest in kidnapping, a group, which has for years, remained evasive controls the ‘business.’ All efforts by the well-coordinated security setting during the era of Babatunde Fashola as governor of Lagos to end their reign of terror failed.
Members of the syndicate, who are said to have roots even among security operatives, remain a terror in Festac Town. They quietly pick their targets whom they are very sure will be able to pay outrageous sum ranging from N100 million and above. Those who returned alive told their family members that they were kept in exotic houses although the locations are not known. They are believed to be the same gang who abducted an industrialist, James Uduji. His abductors have demanded that N220 million be paid for his freedom.
Criminal hideouts
Topping the list is the 7th Avenue where Saturday Sun gathered most kidnappers choose as a route of escape and possible location for their victims who were kidnapped. It was in the area that seven sophisticated rifles belonging to an unidentified criminal gang were recovered recently. Because of its location which is close to the canal, there are some unclaimed plots of land on which miscreants have built temporary shelter.
“There is need to raid that area and the target of the security operatives is to find who and who owns each house there and what they do for a living. I also live on 7th Avenue but I do so in fear. I have smartly sent all my family members out of the country so that I won’t die of high blood pressure. Not less than 10 persons were picked in Festac between 2014 and 2015. The last one was held down for two months before the family could sell their property in Festac in order to raise the ransom demand.
“The CP should match his words with action by screening every resident in Festac, especially 7th and 6th Avenues, which are close to the canal. I will not be surprised if you find the owner of Comestar in any of the buildings,” one of the residents said.
Another black spot is along the 21 Road especially where the estate market is located. Saturday Sun gathered that the popular Agboju market on that road which serves as a major market during the day is being converted to a den of robbers at night. Most of the robbers, who sleep under the open stall at night, are said to constitute 80 per cent of traffic robbers along that axis at night.
According to Chief Ekekwe, a trader, who owns a big shop along that road, their saving grace is the presence of local vigilante who guard their shops at night. “I guess the police should be tired of raiding that area. They are doing their best, it is just that they keep coming back. I have suggested severally that the entire Festac be fenced out so that we can avoid easy access into the town by miscreants. At the 5th Avenue close to NEPA office, the story is the same. They take all kinds of hard drugs there and all NDLEA does is to come and collect and go,” Ekekwe said, sounding bitter.
Continuing, he said that community policing can never work if majority of the people living in a target area are all criminals. “All we need is a total screening of residents in these areas. You will be shocked that most these young men who prefer to stay at home while their wives go to work are robbers at night. You see all kinds of exotic cars owned by residents who have no known source of living. If they claim that they import cars, where did they get the initial capital. I was told that the CP prefers to prevent crime before it happens”, he added.
Screen all residents,
community beg
Terrified at the rising cases of kidnappings and other attacks on residents in the area by hoodlums, over 200 residents of the community at a meeting appended their signatures to a letter sent to the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, pleading with him to intensify efforts at ridding the estate of hoodlums, especially those operating with commercial motorcycles.
Some of the residents, who spoke with Saturday Sun correspondent, requested that police authority should screen all the residents in the area. A medical doctor simply identified as Seun lamented that he had been attacked severally by hoodlums. “Everyday, we ask God to protect us from these criminals who are residing with us in Festac. Most of the people around here do not have a legitimate source of living, yet they drive the most expensive cars. I wish the police will be bold enough to sincerely find out who and who are living in which compound. You will be shocked that a whole street is made up of criminals. Who among them do you expect to report to the police in the name of community policing?”, he asked rhetorically.
An evangelist, Mrs. Nwoke drew the attention of the police to 5th Avenue where she owns a church. “I have lived in Festac for more than 15 years and I can authoritatively tell you that police have refused to send these criminals over here packing. You can see those makeshift houses (pointing at some of the houses), NDLEA normally comes here to raid them and three days later they will be released. It’s obvious that they settle the NDLEA people and are released. They rob at night with okada and sleep all day. It is not a hidden thing; you can go and ask around. I believe that the only solution to this is to take census of everyone living here and probably fence out the town”, she added.
Not left out is a car dealer, (names withheld) who lamented that he is being frustrated out of business. “Every lazy young man in Festac wants to be a car dealer. The truth is that they are using it as a diversion, so that if police should demand the source of their wealth, they will say that it is through sales of car. It is only in Festac that you will buy the latest Range Rover at the cost of N4million. They are all sold at giveaway prices because the owners actually stole or used the cars to import drugs. We are tired of police pretending that they do not know what is obtainable in Festac.
“They do but prefer to keep quiet because these criminals are funding most of the police projects in Festac. Crime in Festac can never reduce if police will not be bold enough to expose these criminals who are their friends. I challenge them to search all the houses in 6th Avenue where I live, they will be amazed at what they will find,” he said.
Obviously bitter, another resident Chief Emmanuel Agoziem blamed the police for the increase of crime cases in Festac. “You are only talking about bank robbery which has returned. Are you aware that some persons in the town kidnap young girls and turn them into sex slaves? My daughter was actually picked up but before they could succeed, some youths who saw them attacked and saved her. I reported the matter but nothing came out of it. I am still in this town because I grew up here and I have a lot of friends here.
“I moved my entire family to Ikeja GRA which is the only area that is safe in Lagos. I am in support of the call by residents to screen the entire residents. We need to send the criminals packing and find a possible way of controlling external forces. It is then that you can talk of community policing.”
We will sanitize Festac Town
– Police
Worried by the growing insecurity in the area, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, had during a working visit to the area warned residents that Festac Town could become an incubating spot for insurgents. He urged the residents not to fold their hands and allow the degeneration of the estate.
He said squatters had taken over land spaces in the area, while a rag tag army of commercial motorcycle riders, popularly called okada, operate with impunity within the estate. He said his tour of Festac area revealed that the area had lost its sanity and glory.
The CP expressed worries that residential flats that were originally designed for a family of four had been partitioned to accommodate eight people. According to him, such overpopulation had not only stretched facilities in the area, but also constituted serious menace.
The CP, who had spent 32 years on the job, admitted that lots of molestation occurred in Festac. He revealed that hoodlums hang around the estate and urged the people to take the campaign for community policing seriously. He said the police division in the area would soon be broken into neighbourhoods for effective policing and pleaded with the residents to cooperate with the security agencies by giving out useful information that would facilitate the arrest of criminals hiding in their area.
On efforts by the police to curb crime in Festac Town, the state police spokesman, Joe Offor said that the force is doing a lot to protect the entire citizenry of Lagos State. “The state command is doing a lot to protect the worship centres, shopping malls and other soft targets in Lagos State. Our concern is not only Festac but the entire Lagos State. On the robbery incident that took place in Festac, it is worthy to note that the Area Commander, Frank Mba made a tactical deployment to counter that robbery incident. No one knew that they accessed the area through the water ways. By the time Marine police got the information, it was already late.”
He explained that CP Owoseni has continued to meet with various communities in Lagos, especially the Hausa community. “During the meeting, he had with the Hausa community the issue of Festac came up. It was discovered that Festac has the highest concentration of homeless and jobless persons. They constitute a major threat in Festac and if they are not gainfully engaged, they could be easily convinced or used to unleash terror on residents. The leaders of the community gave the CP their words that they will control them.
“Our major challenge is in the area of the waterways. Areas like Oshodi, Ikotun, Festac and Ikorodu are prone to such attacks but the police will like to assure Lagosians especially those within those areas that security has been beefed up. The Festac robbery will be last,” Offor assured.
Source:The Sun
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