Gosa, a settlement in Maiduguri, Borno State, is famous for its close links with the maintenance of law and order. The community hosts the facilities where mobile policemen are trained and readied for fighting criminals.
In a way, Gosa also serves as a Mecca of sort for the various security agencies in the country, which use its facilities in the training of their personnel. This Gosa is a place to remember for those who have visited it for whatever reason.
But in Abuja, there is another Gosa, a suburb which is widely known for all the wrong reasons. Indeed, if there is any similarity between the two Gosas it is the vast differences that separate them. While in the one law enforcement agents are trained, the activities that go on in the other Gosa ensure that those so trained are kept busy once they leave the training depot and find their way anywhere near Abuja.. What an irony!
Gosa Village as it is popularly called is located on the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Way, until recently, known as Airport Road. The activities of some committed criminals have given the settlement a wrong name.
Like other suburbs of Abuja, Gosa has its fair share of robbery, burglary, petty theft and other sundry crimes. But it is duping, otherwise called obtaining by tricks (OBT) in local parlance that Gosa excels.
These criminals, Daily Sun learnt, are gradually turning the village into a haven for crimes and other illicit activities. The hoodlums, according to residents who are afraid to have their names in print, tend to have concentrated their activities in the area called Gosa Gbaigbai. They reside there like other tenants, and in keeping with the principle of good neighbourliness. They direct their dubious activities on the unsuspecting strangers rather than the people living with them in the settlement.
A resident simply called Jude, would not want his real name mentioned. He said before now the miscreants used to go for criminal activities as from 6pm. But these days, they start from morning as early as possible. He said he was particularly baffled by the way they trick their unsuspecting victims. According to him, they even invoke some arcane powers to cast spell on the people so that they could manipulate them, rob them or trick them into surrendering their belongings.
Usaully, he said, they would take off from the major traffic points in the metropolis such as Garki Area 1 and Berger Junction, and move towards Airport Road, picking innocent passengers: “It is along the road towards that the operation will take place because that is your route. We have seen so many people that were duped. At times, the victims are hypnotized to obey whatever they are told to do.”
Often, he said, the criminals would sit in the vehicle like passengers before their targets would enter: “As you try to enter, one of them will trick you into going in on the pretext that he will be alighting at the nearest bus-stop. Then they will put their hands into your pocket or bag and pick all they can without your knowledge. Along the way the driver will say he is not going that route anymore and would discharge you and will turn to move away before you realize what has happened.
“Several times we have seen policemen come to this area ostensibly to confront these hoodlums. But after that, we still see this group of people going on their normal business. Honestly, we seem not to understand what the police are doing.” Another resident, who had once encountered them shared his experience with Daily Sun. The man who hails from Warri, Delta State, said he was on his way back from a journey, having than N500 and his ATM card with him. He said the card had ensured his day was a frustrating one because it refused to work that day.
Osagae said as he entered the taxi, a woman and some other people were already inside. As the taxi was on motion one of the other “passengers” started arguing with the driver, claiming that he had a bag in the boot of the taxi that contained $1,000,000 which he said he had taken from his “oga” (boss). He described his boss as a very stingy man who hardly gave out money even to those who had worked for him: “He said he decided to steal his money, but as he went to the room where the money was kept, he saw a red cloth in form of a fetish power on the bag. As he attempted to take the bag of money, he said something shocked him like electric power and even threw him down. But as he summoned courage to try again, he mentioned the ‘blood of Jesus’ and was able to take the money and make his way out of the house.”
According to him, the driver and the rest of the passengers said they would all share the money or else take him to the nearest police station where he would be prosecuted: “The guy pleaded with them and even pledged to give $200,000 to them. But they rejected his offer and insisted that the money be shared equally amongst them. Immediately the guy agreed, and from there they asked me if I was not interested in the booty. Before the question I was already happy because I had no money and in this case, it is in cash so I told them I was interested.
“I was even praying that the money be shared quickly. But as we were approaching Gosa Village, the driver said we should branch into a corner to share the money. But one of them immediately raised objection and said it should not be done openly because we could be apprehended by the police. They then said it would be useful to go and see one herbalist in that area since he said there were some fetish objects where he took the money.”
He said once a herbalist was brought into the picture and everybody agreed to meet him, he knew he was up against some evil machination. That was when he started to plot his escape: “As we moved on after the bend I gently requested the driver to stop briefly so that I could urinate, and he obliged. Once out of the car, I started moving as fast as I could and the woman among them asked if I was leaving. I then replied, yes I am no longer interested. From that moment I started running as fast as my feet could carry me. That was how I escaped their trap that day.”
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