The usual gridlock on the Oshodi-Apapa
Expressway
If you are a motorist driving on the Mile 2
Bridge in the evening and your vehicle breaks down, abandon it and flee,” these
were the words of a commercial bus driver, Michael Onwuka, who plies the
Ketu-Mile 2 route every day.
Onwuka told PUNCH Metro that since the
state government started the expansion of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, robbers
had been taking advantage of the traffic congestion that followed.
Our correspondent, who visited the area on
Thursday, observed that the congestion was so bad that many passengers who were
in buses got down and resorted to trekking.
Our correspondent also observed that on the other
side of the expressway, inward Oshodi, commercial motorcyclists operated freely
and had even set up a makeshift park on the roadside, contravening the state
traffic law.
An official of the Lagos State Traffic Management
Authority, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said
he witnessed four robberies in the past two weeks.
He added that some of the robberies occurred in
broad daylight, while the robbers were able to escape on motorcycles.
He said, “Last week Monday, around 7pm, the
traffic was heavy as usual. A guy, who posed as a beggar, knocked on the window
of a car and was soliciting for alms from the driver who was a woman.
“The woman wound down the glass and offered the
man N200. The man suddenly grabbed the woman’s hand and gave her punches.
“The man then stretched his hand into her car,
grabbed her bag and phone and fled.”
Narrating another incident, the LASTMA official
said, “About two weeks ago, we saw a young guy roaming the expressway with a
handkerchief. We didn’t know a gun was hidden inside the handkerchief
“Suddenly, he approached a guy who was holding a
bag. He attempted to snatch the bag, but the owner of the bag resisted. The
robber pulled out the gun and shot the guy twice.
“He then grabbed the bag, crossed to the other
side of the expressway and fled on a bike. The victim claimed he had N4m in the
bag.”
Some hawkers in the area told our correspondent
that the absence of streetlights also made things easy for the robbers.
One of the hawkers, Peter Odibeli, told PUNCH
Metro that some of the robbers also used cars.
He said, “I have witnessed about three robberies.
I close around 10pm because I get to sell more goods in the traffic.
“Last week, around 10pm, I was on my way home. As
I was about to enter a bus, a Toyota stopped in front of the bus.
“Robbers alighted from the car and robbed all the
bystanders. I was able to escape, but when I returned, victims narrated their
ordeal to me.”
When our correspondent visited Fatgbem Bus Stop,
some employees of Fatgbems Filling Station confirmed the spate of robberies.
They, however, told PUNCH Metro that the
police usually made arrests.
A senior employee, who wished to remain anonymous,
said, “Most of the robberies take place on the Mile 2 Bridge. Many of the
robbers operate on motorcycles. However, policemen attached to the Rapid
Response Squad and those from the FESTAC Police Station make arrests.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi
Braide, said she would find out the truth about the incidents from the Area E
commander.
She, however, had yet to call PUNCH
Metro back as of the time of going to the press
-Punch
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