The state of roads that link airports to its host city speaks volumes about the culture and values of its people. A well lit, secure and neat gateway indicates security and the preservation of life is a top priority of the government. When such a major road becomes a crime hub as is the case of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road, Lagos, it becomes a serious indictment on the government of the day.
Some years ago, Lagosians were shocked when Clifford Oji, the alleged man eater, was discovered around that area. People were surprised that a crime of such magnitude could be taking place at the gateway to not just the city of Lagos, but the country. Many people had thought that with the discovery, security would be beefed up around the area but recent happenings there suggest that a lot still need to be done in that respect.
Dotting the length of road right from the airport to Oshodi are street lights that do not work. The road median, which would have been an aesthetic display in more serious climes, is usually overgrown with weed. The two sides of the road from NAHCO Bus Stop, down to the Mobil filling station, are overgrown with bushes. For those who work and commute along the area, it pays to be extra careful once it is dark.
A petrol station attendant, who works at a fuel station along the NAHCO-Mobil route, narrates his experience to CRIME DIGEST. “It is no longer news that people get robbed often on this road. The street lights don’t work so once it is dark, criminals hide in the bushes. Anyone walking alone becomes a target.
“We often work here till about 9 pm and we have been robbed once. It is not a nice feeling having someone pointing a gun at you, not knowing if it will go off. As a result, we never go off alone in the dark after work. If we cannot hitch a ride with a colleague, then we make sure we walk to the bus stop in a group,” the attendant said, declining to give his name.
A business woman, while trying to catch an early morning Virgin Atlantic flight, was also robbed along the route. A source close to her said, “First, sharp objects were thrown across the road to deflate her tyres. Immediately the car came to a stop, the lady was dispossessed of all her valuables.”
The major points of attack are the areas just before the Mobil filling station and the overhead bridge after Ajao Estate that leads to Oshodi. Some respondents told CRIME DIGEST, “This route is mainly a commercial route. By evening, most businesses would have closed shop and the route becomes deserted. If your car chooses to pack up at this point, these boys will just jump out of the bush and rob you.”
Most times, the robbers who are always in pairs, operate on motorcycles, popularly called okadas. They lie in wait at the fringes of the road and when a victim comes by, they drive out, rob the person and off they go.
“The 7&8 Bus Stop is a particularly bad spot. Many people have been robbed there. Recently, these robbers went after a lady who entered the street beside the filling station and robbed her with a gun.
“The petty traders dealing in recharge cards and food sellers do not stay here beyond 6 pm because of these robbers. From the filling station to NAHCO is also very dangerous. Apart from being robbed, women are also raped there at night. There are cases of robbers on okada snatching handbags from their owners during the day,” a respondent said.
It seemed however that efforts were being made to address the issue as the road median just before the Conoil filling station had been rid of its overgrown bushes. However, beyond Conoil, the situation remains the same.
Curiously, that small stretch of the road on which all manner of crimes occur is supposedly under the jurisdiction of two police commands – the Airport Police Command and the Lagos Police Command. The stretch of road from NAHCO to Mobil filling station lies under the jurisdiction of the Airport Police command. The left side of the road after Mobil down to Ajao Estate and beyond is under the control of Ajao Estate Police Station, while the right side of the road after Mobil and beyond, lies under the scope of Mafoluku Police Station; both stations being under the Lagos State Police Command.
The Public Relations Officer, Airport Police Command Lagos, Dennis Ifijen, said he could not speak on the crime situation on the NAHCO-Oshodi Road as he had just resumed at his new post. “I just resumed today; I was posted from Abuja. I need time to study the terrain before saying anything about this matter,” Ifijen said.
Police patrol vehicles said to occasionally ply the road are insufficient in number to check the rising crime rate. “A single patrol vehicle cannot do the job. Let’s say a patrol vehicle is at Ajao Estate and someone is being robbed on the opposite side at Mobil. By the time, the patrol vehicle would have made the required turns to get to Mobil, the criminals would have escaped. It would help if a patrol vehicle is mandated to ply each side and most importantly, if the Federal Government can do something about the street lights and the overgrown bushes. Criminals would be discouraged from operating along that route,” a respondent said.
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