Residents of the Alapere-Ketu community in Lagos State have expressed growing concern over the frequent robbery incidents in the area, which have become almost a daily occurrence.
In an interview with The PUNCH on Saturday, the residents described the situation as troubling, noting that the criminals operate with ease, using motorcycles, tricycles, and minibuses to carry out their activities.
A resident, Olasunkanmi Lawal, shared that people heading to work in the morning have become primary targets for the robbers.
“It is a disturbing situation for us here at Alapere. Cases of robbery incidents have increased for some days now. This happens in the morning when people are going to the office and when they return at night. We stopped experiencing this for a while until recently when we started to hear of people being attacked and robbed almost every day,” Lawal said.
Segun Olanusi, another resident, pointed out that the unchecked activities of motorcycle riders in the area were contributing to the escalating crime wave.
“Motorcycle riders now work 24 hours in our area which is not supposed to be so. The robbers use this alongside a minibus and tricycle to operate in our community. They use motorcycles mostly in the morning while using tricycles and minibuses in the evening. Just this past Sunday in the morning, a tailor was dispossessed of his belongings at gunpoint in Alapere. He was also attacked with his face brutalised in the process. This is just one of the many cases we record in the community,” Olanusi added.
A member of the Community Development Association, who preferred to remain anonymous due to security concerns, revealed that other areas such as Demurin, Goodluck, and Oriola were also experiencing similar robbery incidents.
“There has been panic at Demurin, Goodluck, and Oriola. The people plying the route have been complaining seriously. These thieves operate in those areas like no one could do anything to them. We have had some cases reported at the police station but we have not seen any improvement,” the source said.
Reports suggest that the failure to enforce the ban on motorcycles in the Alapere area has contributed to the rise in robberies.
A community leader, who also requested anonymity for security reasons, criticized the police for their inability to enforce the motorcycle ban in the Alapere area.
“The ban on Okada is not being enforced here. The riders keep working around this area and the police have failed to take action against them. This is not the case at Ikosi. When you go across towards Ikosi, you can’t see motorcycles working there and that is why the other side is free from robbery incidents. But here, they work 24 hours and that is why they operate without hindrance,” the leader stated.
The leader further expressed concern for the victims, many of whom have been left traumatized by the incidents.
“As I speak, many victims of their operation have been left traumatised. We are helpless, we need help. We don’t want it to start resulting in the loss of lives before action is being taken by the authorities. That is why we are speaking up now,” the leader added.
The community is now calling on the Lagos State Police Command and the Lagos State Task Force to enforce the motorcycle ban before the situation worsens.
Attempts to reach the State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, were unsuccessful, as his phone lines went unanswered and a text message sent to him had not been responded to at the time of this report.
