Upsurge in crime - Agidingbi residents now live in fear of armed criminals

Agidingbi RoadAkin Adewakun writes on how armed robbers operating on motorcycles have made residents of Agidingbi, one of the major suburbs in Lagos, scared of moving about at night.

That the nation is facing a major challenge in terms of security is no longer news. And that the city of Lagos accounts for the large chunk of the growing incidences of crime in Nigeria is also not news either. But that a community that once radiated peace and security has become a den of hoodlums, where even angels fear to tread, is giving residents of Lagos, especially those that transact business in the area, a major source of concern.

Welcome to Agidingbi, a community made prominent by the calibre of industries and investments it plays host to. Agidingbi is a frontline community in Lagos. To Lagosians, especially investors of yore, it is a fertile ground for investment since it possesses all the ingredients that would make any investment thrive.

Little wonder that the once flourishing nigeria's frontline newspaper, the Daily Times of Nigeria, Cadbury Nigeria Ltd, the state's radio and television station, Radio Lagos and Lagos Television (LTV) and other prominent industries are spread over an expansive space within the community, complementing the natural beauty of the area.

Lagos Life investigations in respect of why the community became the cynosure of high-profile investors of yore revealed that the peace and security which the place once offered was one of the factors that actually attracted investors to the area.

But, curiously, the serenity associated with this area is fast giving way to anxiety, occasioned by the upsurge in crime. Pastor O. Olalekan, is an assistant pastor in one of the frontline churches in Lagos. While narrating his experience to Lagos Life recently, Pastor Olalekan, said he and some church members were just returning from a musical concert organised by the outreach arm of his church recently and were at the Daily Times gate, waiting for a vehicle that would convey them to Ikeja, when four young boys alighted from two motorbikes and demanded what they were carrying.

Mr. Babatunde Raji
Fashola, Lagos State
governor.“It was as if I was actually watching a movie. We were more than six standing there, but we couldn't resist these boys because they were armed. At the end of the day, they collected my laptop, more than eight GSM handsets, cash and other valuables before disappearing into thin air”, he said.

Stanley's case sounds similar to that of Pastor Lekan. Stanley, a correspondent with a business newspaper that has its office very close to the Lagos State government secretariat, had just finished the day's work and was heading home, when some boys on a bike waylaid him and collected his laptop and some other valuables he was carrying, before they bolted on their bike. He, like Pastor Olalekan and his church members, also couldn't resist because the criminals were armed.

Tales like these, sadly, have become a common song among residents of Agidingbi. Unfortunately, residents are helpless in the midst of this recent siege on the community. While some have now resigned to fate, other residents believe the government should come to the aid of the community by re-introducing the ban placed on commercial motorcycle operators, outlawing them from operating from 7p.m.

But, until a lasting solution is found, residents of the area will continue to live in fear once it is night, because of the men on motorcycles operating around the neighbourhood, under the cover of darkness.