Car battery thieves invade Oshodi

In less than a month, thieves have removed more than 15 car batteries from vehicles parked outside different houses in some streets of Oshodi, Lagos State. The battery thieves struck again yesterday, vandalizing cars and carting away batteries parked on Osho Street, in Orile Oshodi.

One of the victims, who simply identify himself as Oko Baba Mama, said he woke up early at about 5:00a.m. to beat the Lagos traffic when he discovered his car battery had been removed from his Mercedes car. While he was lamenting and raising the alarm over this incident, a commercial bus driver also discovered that his bus has been vandalized with the battery stolen.

Residents told The Guardian that the battery theft has become a frequent occurrence in the area, adding that batteries were removed from 11 cars last month. A resident, who pleaded for anonymity, said she saw some boys scaling fence at midnight. “This is the handwork of those boys. Moreover, there is no security in this area. We are living in fear. We don’t know what may happen next. It is car batteries now, next it may be house burglary.”

Another said: “I suspect all these Ladipo boys. It is the handiwork of the spare-parts dealers. Those boys know where to sell the batteries and how to extract them from under car bonnets. A normal thief would not be so swift and silent.”

Residents have therefore called on security operatives to be active in discharging their duties in the area.