Crime takes another dimension underbridge on Airport Road

First, it was Clifford Orji, the cannibal, that had the place as his den for keeping captured people for ritual killings. Remember Clifford Orji’s saga some years ago that took place under the flyover bridge at the Airport road junction, Toyota Bus-Stop? The same spot is in the news again.

This time not as a cannibal’s den but a hidden spot for raping ladies who pass through the location while returning home from a nearby company early in the morning after a night shift duty.

Apart from the place being a raping spot, it has also, of late, been a point where motorists and pedestrians are robbed at nights by miscreants popularly called “area boys.”

Many people have been robbed there while passing through the service lane from Charity Bus-Stop to Ladipo junction at the popular auto spare parts market. Precisely two weeks ago, a large crowd of people was noticed in early hours of the day to gather around an alleged rapist at the spot.

The young man, about 32 years old, who gave his name as Friday Joshua, a Kwale-speaking man from Delta State and a resident of Taiwo Street in Mafoluku, Oshodi was writhing in pains in a pool of his blood after he was shot by unknown uniform man under the Toyota-Oshodi fly-over.

Joshua, who said he works as a bus conductor and occasionally goes to the popular Aswani market on Mondays and Tuesdays to do some menial jobs, told The Guardian in a rather weak and inaudible voice: “I was passing through this place at 5am to Aswani market when I saw a lady going to work and a guy was coming behind her.

The guy snatched her bag and on sighting some uniform men under the bridge, he ran away. I too decided to run from the scene to save my life.

As I was running, a bullet shot at my direction hit my left leg.” He gave the telephone number of one Evelyn, whom he claimed to be his mother.

When The Guardian called the woman (Evelyn) she said her son had earlier called to inform her of the development and that she had sent someone to intervene. “My son works as bus conductor and only goes to Aswani Market every Tuesday to do some menial job there,” the woman confirmed.

However, The Guardian’s timely intervention saved Joshua from being set ablaze as the angry youths, who gathered round him and who did not believe his story had assembled tyres and were desperately searching for fuel with which to burn him alive.

A man who does not want his name in print said he knew Joshua to be one of the criminals disturbing the peace of the area. He alleged that Joshua and his gang raped the lady whose pants and bra were seen at the scene, where Joshua was shot.

The pant and bra might have been freshly pulled from the unknown lady, who, in a desperate bid to avoid public shame, ran away from the scene after being raped.

One of the youths in the crowd said: “I saw the lady when I came here but cannot disclose her identity, though I don’t know where she is at the moment. She has pleaded that she should not be exposed.”

When The Guardian called at the Aswani Police Station to confirm the incident, an officer said the alleged rapist had been taken to the Isolo General Hospital for treatment.

All the Police officers at the station expressed anger with the Makinde Police station for what they termed “negligence on their part,” saying: “Makinde Police ought to have provided round the clock security at under the bridge that is notorious to forestall this kind of ugly development.

They said they were attending to cases of this nature almost on daily basis and report the cases to Makinde Police whose duty it is to make the areas free of criminals but that despite their complaints, the Makinde station has refused to something to stop the miscreants.

But an officer in Makinde Police Station, who pleaded anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, faulted Aswani Police Station’s claim, saying: “We are trying our best. There is no truth in the account of the Aswani Police station. As for this rape case, we will investigate and fish out those involved. We will make sure they don’t go scot-free.”