Residents of Ntabo in the Sango area of Ogun State have raised the alarm over frequent robbery in their community.
Our correspondent gathered that suspected hoodlums had repeatedly dispossessed many residents, going to work early in the morning, of their personal belongings and valuables.
It was also learnt that several car batteries were removed and stolen from many of the cars parked by their owners on the streets in the community.
According to a resident, who spoke with our correspondent, Mr. Waheed Tolase, “These hoodlums usually stop people going to work or market early in the morning and snatch their bags. They steal car batteries at midnight, where you park your car. Several victims have reported to the police station nearby, but they have not taken any action about it.”
One of the victims, who spoke with our correspondent, Mr. Bolatito Johnson, said the suspected hoodlums stole his car battery on two occasions.
He said, “The criminals usually raid at night and use special tools to commit the act, even if the car has security alarm; you will just find out that the car battery is missing.
“If police patrol in the area is active, these things will not be happening. The people in this community are gripped with fear to go out to work in the morning.”
Another victim, who simply identified herself as Mrs. Ajani, said she was going to the market around 6:30am in the morning when she was attacked with knives and cutlass. She said that they even threatened to kill her.
“We are always afraid to go out in the morning to our different work places because of these criminals. They would just show up from nowhere, threaten you and snatch whatever you are holding, be it your phone, purse, jewelry, any valuable,” she said.
The Chairman of the Community Development Association of the area, Mr. Dauda Ishola, said the police in the area needed to intensify efforts to rid the community of suspected criminals.
“We are trying our best to make sure the criminals face the law while they are duly punished. Some of the culprits have been declared wanted, and we hope they will soon be arrested because they are threatening the people living in this community,” he said.
But the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, could not be reached for his comments.
Oyeyemi, an assistant superintendent of police, did not pick calls made to his phone.
