By Ejiofor Toochi
Around 9 p.m. one evening, Henry Nwaserume found himself a victim of robbery in Alausa, Ikeja, just opposite the City Mall. He recounted, “three guys were on okada that day, I just came out from the bank, they blocked me, they collected my phone.”
This incident occurred about three years ago but many others have fallen prey to similar acts of theft. Residents in the area, strongly believe that the perpetrators are in their midst.
During the day, as passers-by step in and out of Ikeja City Mall or wait at the bus stop, they’re met with outstretched hands of young boys pleading for money. The boys station themselves in their numbers, moving from one passerby to the next. Oftentimes, if passers-by refuse to give them money, they tend to become upset and may speak rudely.
Femi, a security officer at Polaris Bank opposite Ikeja City Mall (ICM), explained that dealing with the boys – he called them “area boys” – has been a constant struggle. He frequently chases them away to prevent them from harassing the bank’s customers. Femi, along with many others, believe these boys, who beg during the day, turn into thieves at night.
He said, “At this bus stop, we have some boys there, they’ll just say ‘give me money.’ If you don’t give them, it’ll turn to fight and that thing always occurs in this area. In the afternoon, they’ll be begging you, and when it turns to evening time, they’ll steal or hijack things and run away. But they’ll be pretending now.”
Femi added that a number of Polaris Bank staff have fallen victim, especially those who work late. “They’ve robbed some of our staff who worked late at the bus stop. Last month a girl was a victim as her phone was stolen,” he said.
An employee at the bank, Kolawole narrated that a few days ago he met a lady outside the premises who had just been robbed of all her belongings. As she was stranded, he had to render financial assistance to her. Kolawole criticized the lack of effort by local authorities to address the issue, noting that Alausa, which houses the seat of power in Lagos State, and is home to many government offices, should have better security measures in place. “We have more of Lagos officials around here, so I expect them – police, LASTMA, most especially Civil Defense, to have done something,” he said.
The presence of these boys has caused significant unease among residents and workers in the area. As a result, they have become more cautious, especially at night and early morning, to avoid becoming the next victims.
Unlike Henry who didn’t lodge a complaint with the police because he doubted they would act on it, Femi disclosed that the Chief Security Officer at Polaris bank frequented Alausa police station to complain. “Sometimes they’ll come around and pursue them. The boys will run away, and later on, they’ll come back to the area.”
In December 2023, IkejaBird did a story on “More youths turn to begging,” and interviewed some of the boys who beg at the mall. They explained that they’d rather ask for money than resort to stealing. It is however uncertain if these boys are the same gang involved in stealing and hijacking the properties of residents and workers. It’s the duty of the government, alongside the local police, to investigate the situation and make the area safe again.
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