There were fears and tension in the Mushin areaof Lagos State on Monday morning after about 60robbers operated

There were fears and tension in the Mushin area
of Lagos State on Monday morning after about 60
robbers operated on no fewer than eight streets
and destroyed about 30 vehicles.
Some residents told our correspondent that the
robbers also raped some young ladies and
operated unchallenged for about seven hours.
The hoodlums, who reportedly belonged to two
cult groups – Akala boys and Toheeb’s gang –
ravaged New Balogun, Euba, Ayonuga, Tiamiyu,
Haruna, Ereko, Oyedele streets and Coker Lane.
A mosque on Coker Lane was not spared as the
worshippers, who slept in the mosque after a vigil,
were robbed by the hoodlums.

One of the people in the mosque said robbers fired bullets for over one
hour before robbing from house-to-house.
He said, “It was around 12am on Monday
morning that we started hearing gunshots. It
lasted for about an hour.
“Around 1am, they started going from house-to-
house, robbing the occupants. They stole about
seven laptops from the house opposite this
mosque. They stole phones, money and
everything they saw. They came inside the
mosque and took our phones and money. People
were crying throughout the night. It was terrible.”
Another witness said the robbers were not in a
haste. He said they robbed till 5am and came
back at 6am to continue before leaving around
7am.
Our correspondent observed that a generator was
also removed from its shed by the robbers.
Vehicles parked on the streets were vandalised by
the robbers, just as two Toyota Hilus van were
burnt.
Our correspondent counted 20 vehicles, but some
residents said about 10 damaged cars had been
taken away by their owners for repairs.
Kasali Daramola, a driver who spoke while
fighting back tears, told our correspondent he
owned one of the burnt vehicles.
He said, “This is the third time they will do this to
me. What have I done to them? The first was a
Lexus car my younger brother bought for me,
which I was planning to sell to acquire a
commercial bus to take care of my four kids and
wife. I sold the scrap for N30, 000. I used the
money I raised to get a bus and I was paying for
it by installment. I have not finished the payment
when they destroyed it.”
Daramola said the men entered his house and
some of the ladies living there were raped.
He said attempts to bring in the police were
abortive as they kept saying they were on their
way without showing up.
A resident said, “For over five years now this area
has not known peace. Will the police say they
cannot do anything about it? Around 7am that
policemen came here, they still saw some of
those robbers around, but did not do anything.
Why? I believe the police know all the people
causing trouble here and if they want to do
something, it doesn’t take them anything.”
Tosin Gbolahan, a resident, said a policeman
attached to Alakara Police Station was with the
hoodlums on Monday morning.
He said the hoodlums took advantage of a
carnival that was held the previous night on Ojo
Street to perpetrate the havoc.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State
Command, Ngozi Braide, said she would call
back, but she had yet to do so as of press time.