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Egan-Igando… A peaceful community troubled by criminals

By Daniel Anazia and Isaac Taiwo
23 July 2016   |   2:08 am
The gunmen suspected to be militants entered the community through the waterways, as it is an island, looted shops and homes, carting away goods and valuables such as mobile phones, laptops, and a deep freezer.
Marindoti Street, Egan Igando. Insert is the bush part the criminals often use PHOTO: DANIEL ANAZIA

Marindoti Street, Egan Igando. Insert is the bush part the criminals often use PHOTO: DANIEL ANAZIA

Although the day had started off quite bright and sunny, the atmosphere that morning later became frenzy and hazy with dust as residents of Prince Adegbenro Okikiade, Marindoti, Wasiu Alimi (second poultry), Prince Momoh, Mustapha and the adjoining streets of Ogunmoga-Suntol Community Development Association (CDA), Fatoki area of Egan, Igando Lagos State, who were at home observing the public holiday for the celebration of the end of Ramadan fast, suddenly scampered to safety as over 20 gunmen invaded the community at 11a.m.

The gunmen suspected to be militants entered the community through the waterways, as it is an island, looted shops and homes, carting away goods and valuables such as mobile phones, laptops, and a deep freezer.

Many residents who fled from the community after the daylight terror, are yet to return to their homes. Those who had no where to run to, now find it difficult to sleep in their homes, move about and transact their businesses with unease like they did before the attack.

Eyewitnesses who gave accounts of the incident told The Guardian that the gunmen stormed the neighbourhood in the morning in a commando style, shooting sporadically into the air; injured three people and left with a promise to return after on the first day, being Monday, the eve of the end of the Ramadan fast (Eid al-Fitr).

Narrating her ordeal, a woman who operates a cold spot in the community, under anonymity, told The Guardian: “That fateful morning, I was carrying my grandson and feeding him when I saw four boys, two stood by the door and the other two were behind. They jumped over from my neighbour’s compound through the fence that demarcated us, after they had tortured him.

“Authoritatively, they demanded, where is our money and I told them which money, I’m not owing anybody and nobody gave me money to keep. One of them then said, you don’t understand what we mean. Another one said, shoot her two legs. It was then they brought out their guns and machetes, and there were cold shivers all over me; I was perplexed, because it was as if I was dreaming. I had never had such experience in my lifetime,” she recalled.

She continued: “They demanded my phone and collected the bag I had with me that was containing money for the goods I had sold that morning. There were about seven customers at my shop at the time; three were able to escape, while the other four were not so lucky. They collected the money on them, N200, N1000, even N50 and their phones. They were young boys within the age range of 24 and 25 years.”

According to her, the gunmen went into the shop, took the best of the drinks (wine, dry gins and beer) she was selling, her Startimes decoder, and made away with the laptop and a mobile phone.

“People hurriedly closed their doors. The boys moved from house to house in a commando manner, breaking wooden doors with kicks. They tried to enter into the house directly opposite mine, but they couldn’t because it was made of an iron door. They broke into the shop in the compound and made away with some drinks. On their way back, they met me outside with my grandson and one of my neighbour’s children, while trying to get myself back from the trauma of their attack; they then asked what I was still doing outside.

“As they ran towards me, I dashed into the house and locked the door and they ordered me to open the door, but I told them they were at my house earlier, which one of them affirmed. While I was trying to come out, they forced open the door with kicks. Before then, they had already used the gun butt t o break the window and threatened to shoot me if I refused to open the door. I came out with courage and told them I only owed them one bullet, and if they wanted to kill me they should do it because I didn’t have any money on me again,” the woman recounted.

For a middle age man, who also preferred anonymity; his house was the first port of call by the bandits. He noted that aside speaking English, they spoke a language that sounded like Ijaw

He said, “I was inside my house with a friend who had come to see me. They shot him but the bullet couldn’t penetrate and they ordered him to surrender his mobile phone, which he refused giving to them. I was semi-dead when I saw the guns they came with. I knelt down and pleaded with them to spare my life.”

According to his wife, she was outside with their two-year-old child when the armed men came, and the child had innocently told the mother in Yoruba … won ti de…meaning they have come. But the mother in a bid to understand what he was saying asked …awon wo l’o ti de. And just as she stood up to see the said visitors, she saw the bandits.

She said, “It was an experience we had not encountered since we have been living in this community. This place had always been a peaceful one, but now, we live in palpable fear. Most people no longer sleep in their house at night, while many have fled to other places for safety. Some have just come back after the attack.”

The robbers made a comeback on Wednesday night as they promised, which was the day the Eid-el Fitr was celebrated. And according to 84-year-old man, who also wanted his name off-print, he was outside savouring the cool evening breeze as there was no power supply, when the boys numbering over 30, marched past and stood at the junction that intersects Prince Adegbenro and Marindoti streets.

“After the attack on Monday morning and their threat to come back, those of us that had no where to run to organised ourselves for vigil and made fire with tyres. We repeated it on Tuesday, but on Wednesday, at 8p.m., the boys came back. They went from house to house, collected people’s money, phones and other valuables,” he said.

The Guardian gathered that the police visited the community and promised that they would track them down. Days after, progress was made as two boys living in the community, precisely on Marindoti Street and suspected to be member of the gang were arrested, and when the police carried out a search in their apartment, guns and live ammunition were found in their room.

Despite the presence of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) team with an armoured personnel carrier (APC) stationed at Fatoki junction along Isuti road, many residents still live in fear as the robbers have written to some streets in the community informing them of their impending attack.
The Storm From Totowu, Odan, Imoshe and Kande
TROUBLE for the once peaceful community The Guardian gathered, started almost a month ago, when residents of Totowu, Odan, Imoshe and Kande communities in Ado Odo Local Council of Ogun State came under siege, following the takeover of the waterway that links the communities to Igando by suspected militants.

Residents told The Guardian that the only waterway that links the communities has been taken over by suspected militants who kidnap, rob and rape people on the canals.

According to them, the armed men have made life miserable for the people to the extent that almost all residents of Totowu and Imoshe with the population of about one million people have deserted the communities, leaving only about five per cent of the population who have no where to go.

The ugly development has paralysed all commercial activities in the towns such that people now live in hunger as they cannot cross over to Lagos to buy food items and other commodities to sell. Those who managed to go to market in Lagos are often waylaid on the waters and robbed at gunpoint.

The shortest route and link between these towns and Igando is the Totowu waterway, which it was gathered the militants have since taken over; built their camp on the said the water, robbing, kidnapping people and demanding for ransom with ease.

According to one of the residents of Totowu, who craved anonymity, “the hardship we have been facing has reached the peak. Almost all the residents of Totowu have deserted their houses and relocated because of the menace of these armed men.”

“We have called on the government of Ogun State to come to our aid but we are surprised that up till now, no help was forthcoming. The government of Ogun State has abandoned us as if we are not citizens of the state. Another resident of the neighbouring town, Imoshe, lamented the situation in the area which also comprised Odan and Kande, stressing that for about one month, the communities have been under siege from the militants.

He said: “These militants ply the waterways along Totowu and Imoshe, harassing inhabitants of these towns, Odan and Kande. The militants lay siege on the water when workers are going out in the morning and at night when they are coming back. They are always armed to the teeth, collecting the victims’ money and mobile phones, and if they feel that any handset is not up to the standard they want, they throw it inside the water.”

“At times, they inflict injury on their victims with machete, cover some others’ faces and take them away to undisclosed destination, and after three to four days, they call their relations to come and bail them with ransom ranging from six million and seven million naira.

“A mobile police in uniform that lived in Imoshe town was attacked alongside other passengers on board a boat by the militants. He was ordered to surrender his uniform to them but he refused. They shot him on the leg and because he still would not succumb, he was then shot on the chest, and later taken to the hospital where he died,” he added.

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