The state bus service condemned the criminal act
Lagos – Some passengers boarding a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), were attacked and robbed by some street thugs on Tuesday, in Orile Lagos, South-West Nigeria.
A victim of the attack, also an eyewitness, Dare Abiola, noted that the thugs who disguised as protesters against the seizure of motorcycles by the task force, attacked their bus around 1 pm and took away the passengers’ valuables.
Abiola also lamented that his money and some of his valuables were stolen by the hoodlums. He added that the attack went on for about 20 to 30 minutes without the intervention of security personnel.
“I boarded a BRT bus from Mile 2 going to CMS. When we got to the Odunade bus stop, we noticed a crowd had gathered, and some were marching to the Orile bus stop.
“From what we heard, they said they were going to Orile police station to go and attack some policemen who I learnt had raided some motorcyclists around the Odunade-Coker axis.
“As we moved further, the crowd grew. When we got to the Alafia bus stop, in front of the NNPC fuel station, some guys started breaking the BRT windshield and the windows.
“Personally, they collected my bag and my phone. Before I released the items, they threatened to stab me with a Trophy bottle,” local news, The Nation quoted the passenger as saying.
However, Abiola noted that he went to Orile police station to file a formal complaint.
The state police command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, noted that he does not have the details of the incident yet.
The Lagos State Government, decried the recent trend of hoodlums attacking passengers and its BRT buses, warning perpetrators to desist from the act.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Lagos Bus Services Limited, LBSL, Mr Idowu Oguntona, condemned the development in a statement by LBSL’s Public Affairs Officer, Mr Afolabi Olawale, noting that the trend of hoodlums attacking buses has become both alarming and unacceptable.
The statement reads: “The Lagos State Government will not stand by idly and allow such acts of lawlessness and illicit acts to continue in the state.
“The bus, which was traveling from Mile 2 to Leventis, was approaching the Ore-Ofe bus stop on the Orile axis with 35 passengers on board when a large mob suddenly emerged and swarmed the bus.
“The attackers assaulted passengers, stabbed them with sharp objects, and robbed them of their phones and other valuables.
“These criminals, who cannot be true Lagosians but rather agents of anarchy, have no place in any decent society.
“The Lagos State Government is committed to taking all necessary legal steps to protect residents and visitors.
“There is no need for fear, we assure all commuters of their safety while traveling on all public transportation platforms in Lagos State.”
Civilians are facing intensified violence across Nigeria, and near-daily attacks by armed groups resulting in kidnappings and other abuses against civilians.
Armed groups and gangs, including so-called “bandits,” have – for many years – perpetrated widespread atrocities, including murder, rape, kidnapping, organized cattle-rustling and plunder. Armed herdsmen are also destroying vast swaths of farmland, prompting many farmers to abandon their land out of fear of attack.
Although – Lagos, the country’s commercial hub has low record of attacks by armed bandits, the state houses too much political thugs who engage in intimidation, harassment of citizens and many other criminal activities. Many of them, especially high profile ones enjoy protections from political elites and security operatives.
Last month, a young man died after he was reportedly beaten with dangerous objects by 6 men led by a senior police officer’s son in Lagos.
Nice one good to here dat the same one nigeria they fall in love with born basterd,
Let’s the politicians come and rescue them
Wotowoto never see enything yet.