Darkness in Ibeju-lekki as residents decry insecurity in environs

By Hauwa Ali

Ibeju-lekki residents of Lagos state, have been lamenting the incessant insecurity around its environs, despite the government’s vision for a Greater Lagos by replacing all streetlights in the State.

According to the residents, the already bad situation because of lack of adequate security personnels in the region, is worsening with the looming darkness in the environment at night.

Residents who spoke to naturenews correspondent, narrates their ugly experiences living in the axis.

One was that of a patient rushed to Mother and Child Centre (MCC) Ajah recently, on account of terrible stomach ache. Her sister narrated how she was raped by seven men who were inside the same bus she boarded from Eleko on her way to work some months ago at 4.30am. According to her, the bus stopped along the way, the men dragged her into a nearby Bush and raped her in turns and that it was only until weeks ago that she told her family about the incident, as she was confirmed pregnant, and the pain became unbearable.

“My husband witness the insecurity on our road alot  because he leaves home very early in the morning at 4.30/5am every weekday. Some people will block the road with guns and rob motorists. The last one that happened in December last year was at Eputu bustop, and my husband said, that same day, just before they got to Abraham Adesanya junction, they saw cars turning back and the people said, some hoodlums were stopping cars and robbing them again. Even on our streets, just last week, someone’s phone was snatched while returning home from his shop.” Alhaja Titilayo, a shop owner at Oribanwa axis of Ibeju-lekki said.

Another engine oil seller at Awoyaya said that kidnappers are rampant on the axis as they disguise as commercial workers in small busses. They usher people into their busses and kidnap them.

Many of the residents however, lamented the lack of security lights in the night as a cause of the increasing insecurity. To them, security lights would at least ease the situation.
 
The ‘Light Up Lagos’ project, which was  initiated and commissioned by former governor Akinwunmi Ambode in April 2016 has continued ever since with the present government vowing to continue the project.
 
At the time of its flag off, the light up project was hailed by many Lagosians as a good concept and was expected to be a continuation and improvement of previous efforts by the past administration to provide street lights in the state.
 
The Light-up Lagos project for many was a simple solution to the very complex problem of insecurity. Lagos at night before this initiative by the then ruling political party in the state was a nightmare for both the road users and traders, as men of the under-world take charge during this time and many said, it was hell.
 
But till now, the project has not covered the whole of Lagos state. Some areas are well lit up at night, while some other areas, like the ibeju-lekki axis, are still in darkness, which encourages nefarious activities.
 
However, the residents confirmed that the incidents of robbery has reduced since this year, after engaging the Oduduwa Peoples Congress (OPC) to guard ibeju-lekki environs.
 
OPC’s Adeyemi Tope of the Advance Team, Oribanwa, spoke to us and confirmed the many cases of robbery and cultists clash in the environment, and that since they  assumed duty last year, the incidents have reduced because they work together with Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) and the Elemoro police station to curb the situation.
 
However, Tope lamented a major challenge with the police.
 
“When we arrest criminals and cultists, we take them to the station because  OPC, VGN, we dont have any station. So we take cultists to police station, but before we know it, in the next 2-3 weeks, they will say they are taking them to court and eventually they will release them. It’s a big problem for us.
 
“Government need to work on that aspect. Maybe when they make  them serve the required jail term,  they will be humble and may change.
 
“We need government to also assist us. We are working together with VGN, but nobody is paying us, except for what we get from indigenes,”  he said.