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| The vandalized vehicle of Vanguard’s General Editor. INSET: The interior. |
It is no longer news that Lagos, commercial hub of the nation, has been bedevilled by perennial traffic gridlocks on most major routes. What is news now is attacks on exasperated motorists by hoodlums in traffic. The latest attack was that on Vanguard’s General Editor, Mr. Adekunle Adekoya; Assistant Chief Sub-Editor, Mr. Etop Ekanem and a Senior Sub-Editor, Mr. Oboh Agbonkhese, yesterday, on Ijora Bridge. Time was 1.35pm.
Mr. Emeka Anaeto, Vanguard’s Economy Editor, was also attacked in front of the National Stadium at about 2:30pm.
Motorists who use the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway have been going through hell, daily, in the unending traffic gridlock caused by drivers of heavy duty vehicles.
Marauding hoodlums take advantage of this to attack trapped motorists, while the federal and state governments trade blames on the causes.
Beating the traffic
To beat the traffic along the Oshodi/Apapa Expressway, motorists with destinations along the axis resort to other routes to link their offices on daily basis. One of the alternative routes is the Costain-Ijora-Mobil (Malu) Road.
Unfortunately, this route is not spared the unending traffic gridlock associated with Lagos State, as motorists are trapped for several hours before getting to their respective destinations.
Hoodlums, using dangerous weapons, dare security agents as they operate in broad daylight, dispossessing trapped motorists of cash, telephones, laptops, tablet PCs and other valuables.
Vanguard staff are not spared this ordeal as over 12 staff had been attacked in one month by hoodlums.
The trio of General Editor, Adekunle Adekoya, Etop Ekanem and Oboh Agbonkhese were on their way to work at Vanguard’s corporate headquarters, located at Kirikiri Canal, off Berger Yard Bus Stop, along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway yesterday.
Ordinarily, they ought to have used the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, but to avoid the gridlock, Adekoya opted to drive through Ijora, a route he had used for years, and is familiar with, but ran into another gridlock.
Moving at a snail pace after close to an hour of being trapped at a point, 10 men, whose ages were estimated at between 20 and 24, emerged from nowhere.
Victims’ stories
According to Etop, “one of them broke the side window and even destroyed the bumper. From the shattered glass, they took the General Editor’s bag containing documents and cash, as well as his blazer jacket.
“In my attempt to prevent one of the hoodlums from taking the items away, I sustained injury on one of my fingers. The incident lasted 20 minutes.
“They also attacked other cars in the traffic. Some motorists even left their vehicles and ran away.”
Asked if the hoodlums were armed, Etop replied: “They were just shouting, attacking people and vandalizing vehicles. I did not see any gun with any of them. I do not know if they had hidden it somewhere.”
According to Adekoya, “somebody hit me from behind. As I made to find out what happened, I heard a bang on the rear window glass, which immediately cascaded into shards of broken glass.
“A fellow reached in, opened the door, and made for my work bag containing cash, bank cheque books, and other documents. Etop struggled with the fellow, got wounded and started bleeding. He let go of the bag.
“Another member of the gang u-turned, reached into the car again, removed my blazer, and took it away, all in broad daylight. The attack began at 1.35p.m.”
Etop added that among other victims was a woman who bled profusely from an injury to her wrist. The hoodlums had vandalized their car and the driver of the vehicle kept asking “where is the nearest hospital?”
Mr. Anaeto, the Economy Editor, who was attacked in front of the National Stadium, said he abandoned his car and tried to escape, but was surrounded by about 10 of the hoodlums, who took everything, except his clothes, from him.
Meanwhile, people were watching from across the road, while shop owners around shut their doors against him when he tried to take refuge.
Police story
When contacted to find out why no policeman was stationed along that axis to control traffic, spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Kenneth Nwosu, disclosed that policemen were at one end of the bridge.
He added that when report of the attack reached the Police, a team of policemen was drafted to scene, where two of the suspected hoodlums were arrested.
He added that efforts were still on to apprehend other fleeing members.
He could, however, not state whether items stolen from Vanguard’s General Editor, Adekoya, were recovered from the suspects.
Navy
The area is one of the designated points for Navy patrol since the launch of a task force, Operation Gbale, a Yoruba word for sweeping, by the former Flag Officer Commanding, FOC, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ilesanmi Alade, to proffer a lasting solution to the traffic gridlock that had kept Apapa on lockdown for years.
A senior Naval officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, pointed out that the control of traffic was not the constitutional responsibility of the Navy, but that it decided to help out because of the security implication of such situation.
However, Naval authorities assured Vanguard that officers would be drafted to the axis.
Curled from Vanguard
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