Traffic robberies: Police increase presence on Lagos roads

Traffic robberies: Police increase presence on Lagos roads

NAN
Amid the hue and cry of the residents of Lagos State over the increasing spate of crime, especially gridlock robberies, the Police have increased their patrols on major roads to curb the menace.
It is known that the criminals who rob motorists and commuters in traffic jams are most times people who pretend to be hawkers of assorted wares.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that it is important to note that some causes of traffic robberies are the ripple effects of motorists’ indiscipline, impatience and selfishness.
Investigations by the police have revealed how traffic hawkers turn to robbers at night and connive with commercial motorcycle operators as get-away after forcefully dispossessing their victims of valuables.
The investigations according to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, showed that some of the arrested traffic robbers had an organised group.
They have a place where they assemble to get their briefings from their gang leaders before they are distributed to various locations in the state to commit the heinous act, the commissioner disclosed.
The police have also enumerated some of the tactics the robbers employed during their operations to include, tapping at motorists’ side windows and showing them their guns to instill fear in them.
Then they demand that motorists or his passengers hand over their valuables which they make away with.
The latest of their tricks is to disguise as policemen on duty and flag down vehicles and demand for its particulars.
Whether they find anything wrong with the vehicle’s documents or not, they order you to go with them to the police station only to divert their victim to an unknown destination to kidnap him.
Afterwards, they ask the victim to call any of his or relation and they will demand for ransom.

In a move to checkmate these ugly developments and fight crime generally, the police have increased their patrols, especially with the recently introduced ‘Safer Highways Patrol’.