Some residents of Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government in Lagos State are currently living in fear of their lives as hoodlums attack and rob them of their belongings at will.

These robbery attacks occur early in the morning when residents are out to work, while in some cases, it happens in the evening when most of the working population are returning home, especially after it rains.

From detailed findings, the hoodlums who form themselves into various gangs reside in Abattoir, a haven for criminal elements, and only come out to rob residents.

Some residents who spoke with IfakoijaiyeNews said they are at the mercy of these hoodlums and now move around in fear while the Local Government looks the other way.

Hoodlums have taken over Ifako-Ijaiye

A resident of Daddy Savage in Fagba, who identified himself simply as Kola, narrated how the hoodlums stormed Fagba environs and robbed innocent residents in early June.

“I can’t recall the exact day this happened, but it was on a Friday night in June. I was walking to Fagba junction when I saw people running. I didn’t exactly run but slowed my steps. Then I saw these Abattoir boys numbering like 10, moving about, robbing people. They were armed with various weapons.

A picture of the new Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Secretariat

“Suddenly, some boys from my area (Daddy Savage) came, and we decided to chase them. But by then, it was too late; they had robbed a lot of motorists and passersby. The annoying thing is that the RRS Officers stationed at Fagba were there but didn’t do anything,” he said.

Another resident of Alamutu Estate, who, for security reasons, craved anonymity, said that many residents of the Estate who leave for work early in the morning had been victims of robberies.

She said, “You see this side, Alamutu bus stop to Fagba, is a very deadly spot. I can count the number of residents who have been robbed, and two of them were wounded around 6 am when going to work.

“I work at Yaba and need to be out early in the morning so I can beat the Lagos traffic and get to the office on or before 8. Without talking about them, I had my bag snatched in February this year, and I had to run back into the Estate so they wouldn’t harm me.

“When it was unbearable, the CDA had to set up a post for officers of LNSC. However, they are no longer there, and we are back at square one.”

Felix Chiedozie, a factory worker at Expression and resident of Ishaga who spoke with IfakoIjaiyeNews, said many of his colleagues at work had been robbed between Ishaga and Aina area of Ifako Ijaiye.

According to him, having to resume by 7 am has endangered them, and they have fallen victim many times to early morning robbery.

“As of last week, a colleague was robbed and stabbed. Fortunately for him, he escaped with his life. He was attacked at Aina bus stop. Those abokis from Abattoir are the one doing this,” he said.

Oko-Oba Agege Abattoir – a security threat to residents of Ifako- Ijaiye

Following the ethnic clash that resulted from the fallout of the EndSARS campaign in Fagba, Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, ordered the demolition of shanties and illegal structures around the Oko-Oba Agege Abattoir.

The move was to chase away the hoodlums who capitalised on the EndSARS movement to wreak havoc on Ifako-Ijaiye.

However, at the time of filing this report, the shanties and illegal structures are fully back, and along with it, the criminal elements.

For residents of Iju Station, Fagba, Pipeline, Shina Peters and environs (Ojokoro LCDA), they cannot sleep with their two eyes closed.

The shanties have returned at Abattoir

An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Ifako-Ijaiye who didn’t want his name mentioned for fear of backlash said that the location of the Oko-Oba Agege Abattoir is a major threat to the people of Ifako-Ijaiye.

He said, “It is a bit sad that people will put politics ahead of the safety of their people. Every day, we live in fear of those scrap merchants in Abattoir.

“Most of them jump over fences within the community to steal people’s properties. It doesn’t stop there. When it is past 6 pm, you have to think twice before you pass through First Bank in Fagba and cross the rail.

“The shanties the Lagos State demolished are back. It seems Lagos State is powerless in this matter, or they are just footdragging. Whatever it is, I pray we residents don’t pay for their indifference dearly.”

LNSC, RSS, Police Complicit In Insecurity In Ifako-Ijaiye

Lagos Neighborhood Safety Corps (LNSC), an agency established to assist the police; the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) officers stationed at Fagba junction and the police from the Red House division are all complicit in the growing insecurity in Ifako-Ijaiye.

RRS officers, who were returned to Fagba junction to stem the tide of early morning robberies, have neglected their duty.

Their focus has shifted to assisting LASTMA officers at Fagba junction to extort motorists.

For officers of the Red House police division, they park daily beside the traffic light at Fagba, randomly selecting vehicles to stop while adding to the traffic situation. Their targets are suspected internet fraudsters.

As for officers of the LNSC, abandoning the post at Alamutu junction has further emboldened the criminals who have laid siege to residents of that area.

The chairman of Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government, Hon Usman Hamzat, cannot be excused as well. The government’s major responsibility is to secure its people’s lives and property, and anything short of this is unacceptable.