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Lagosians groan as criminals terrorise neighbourhoods during Covid-19 lockdown

Emmanuel Abara Benson
Covid-19 Lockdown

Governor Sanwo Olu seeking the face of God.

Lagos is gradually degenerating into a state of chaos, no thanks to the activities of rampaging criminals who are terrorising various neighbourhoods as the Covid-19 lockdown persists. Many of those victimised by the armed robbers have shared their ugly experiences. At least two of them are Nairametrics staff members.

Imagine this scenario: It was early Sunday morning (yesterday), and a shopowner had just been informed about an incident at her shop in Bode Thomas, Surulere.Β She rushed down there only to find her shop vandalised, with 85% of her goods carted away.

The woman had not been going to the shop since early April when President Muhammdu Buhari issued lockdown orders for Lagos, Abuja, and Ogun State. Unfortunately, not only has her business suffered due to her inability to make sales, she is now on the brink of completely losing her means of livelihood. The saddest part of the story is that the police in Lagos cannot help her.

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Sleepless nights: These robberies are not only limited to commercial centres where most shops are currently under locks and keys. People living in residential areas have also been attacked in the middle of the night, as the criminals take away valuable items, including foodstuff which, by the way, have become quite expensive in recent times.

https://twitter.com/_darkweirdo/status/1249442759716503552

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Sleep deprivation has also become the order of the day, as the nightly attacks have caused residents to resort to staying awake and alert. The fact that the Nigeria Police Force seems overwhelmed by the situation has also led to impromptu vigilante groups springing up in various neighbourhoods, as residents try to secure themselves by themselves.

Exclusive video clips obtained by Nairametrics also show the extent of the chaos in Agege, Lagos. Many of the residents were out in the street last night, brandishing machetes and shooting into the air, with lit burnfires everywhere. They too are taking matters into their own hands since the police cannot help them.

https://nairametrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Agege.mp4?_=1

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Nigeria’s meager city, Lagos, has been under lockdown for two weeks, as officials continue to combat the Coronavirus pandemic in the country. The lockdown has wrought serious negative economic impacts on many, especially low-income earners many of whom cannot survive on their savings for more than a few days. Although both the Lagos State Government and the Federal Government have made efforts to care for this set of people during this period, many are still feeling the impact.

In the meantime, the resultant criminal unrest in Lagos (and retaliation from Lagos residents) has generated quite a lot of reactions on Naija Twitter. Many people have argued that those who are stealing from house to house do so because they are impoverished and hungry, even as the government has refused to assist with financial aids during the Covid-19 lockdown. Others, however, believe that there is simply no justification for crime.

https://twitter.com/Danny_Walterr/status/1249589129890926592

There is also the legal/moral question about the residents who have resorted to protecting themselves, albeit with the use of unlicensed weapons including guns. Where did those guns come from? And will the jungle justice that might result from this episode be justifiable?

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