Residents of Ikotun, a suburb of Lagos State under Alimosho Local Government Area have continued to live in palpable fear over the rising incessant broad day light attacks and robberies by armed gangs on innocent citizens.
The robbery trends which started sometimes in October 2023, have led to lost of lives and properties within the vicinity.
Most of the attacks and robbery cases were recorded along surrounding streets along Governors Road – Lanre Bus Stop, Odo Eran, White House Bus Stop etc.
Most of the targets by the robbers include -POS operators, Okada riders, Boutique shop owners, Liquor stores etc.
In the last one week, most shops have been subjected to lock and key over anxiety of being attacked by the robbers.
It was gathered that the heavily armed robbers who come in their large numbers, usually carry out their operations between 12noon to about 4pm on the aforementioned victims along the vicinity, even as their actions have transcended to innocent citizens going about their day to day activities around the community.
The latest attack which occured on Sunday 5th of November, 2023 at Odo Eran area of Governor Road in Ikotun at about 12:30 noon, saw a group of young men wielding gun and shooting sporadically into the air and also moving from street to street in search of preys.
POS operators and several other market traders including motorcycle operators, commuters, and worshippers were attacked with valuable items carted away by the assailants.
A cross section of residents who spoke on the ugly trends expressed frustration and anxiety over the increasing robbery cases within the community.
They lamented that the incessant robbery attacks on citizens have been alarming calling on the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to deploy more security personnel to the area in curbing daylight robbery attacks on citizens.
Accordion to them, insecurity is fast becoming a norm within the affected communities of Ikotun, saying that Police personnel has failed to respond swiftly to security issues.
They decried the poor security architecture of Ikotun and its environs – maintaining that the situation if not properly curtailed would result to massive insecurity.
Eyewitness account recorded that an elderly man whose motorbike was intercepted by the criminals, lamented that” My okada was collected from me in the broad day light and am confused because this bike is under hire purchase.
“Am yet to complete the payment of the motorcycle. My life is doomed, I pray God help me out of this predicament,” he cried out.
A resident of the community name withheld lamented that the issue of insecurity within the community is relatively high calling the police to up the ante to curb the rising trends of robbery within Governor Road and surrounding environment.
However, attempts to get the DPO Ikotun for responses proved abortive as personnel urged our correspondent to contact the Lagos State Commissioner of Police.
Also , efforts to reach the Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin proved abortive as text message sent to his mobile phone was neither acknowledged nor replied.
