Residents flee Ikorodu community after robberies, killing of CDA executive

By Esther Onyegbula

Residents of Mercyland (Jabe CDA), 3rd Power Line, Oke Eletu, Ijede, Ikorodu area of Lagos State, have begun fleeing the community following repeated armed robbery attacks, including the killing of a Community Development Association, CDA, executive.

The latest attack, which occurred between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on Sunday, July 12, left Mr. Abdulazeez Olaoye T.A., a prominent resident and one of the CDA executives, dead after he was allegedly brutally attacked with machetes.

The incident has heightened fear among residents, with community members alleging that the latest attack was the sixth robbery incident recorded in the area since the beginning of the year, with some claiming that several attacks had occurred within the past four weeks.

Residents said the hoodlums invaded the community at about 1 a.m. and operated for nearly two hours, attacking several houses and carting away millions of naira, phones and other valuables before fleeing around 3 a.m.

A resident, Adekunle Olamide, who spoke to Vanguard in Ikorodu, said the robbers invaded about seven houses during the operation.

According to him, one of the victims, who had a surveillance camera installed in his house, had the device destroyed by the robbers before they forced their way into the building.

Olamide said the robbers attempted to strike the victim on the head with a machete, but he raised his hand to protect himself, resulting in severe injury to one of his fingers.

“The robbers damaged the CCTV camera, forced the door open and made away with valuables. They attempted to strike the owner on the head with a machete, but he raised his hand to protect himself. One of his fingers was severely cut and later stitched,” he said.

Another resident, Obisesan Taiye, disclosed that the hoodlums also broke into a block of eight flats, gaining access to five apartments, while occupants of the remaining three apartments managed to escape the attack.

He said two other residents sustained serious machete injuries during the latest attack and were receiving treatment at a hospital.

According to residents, Olaoye was allegedly attacked while attempting to alert other members of the community to the ongoing robbery and prevent the hoodlums from extending the attack to neighbouring compounds.

He was reportedly repeatedly hacked with machetes and later died from the injuries sustained.

Taiye also alleged that a woman was raped during one of the previous attacks, while another resident suffered severe machete injuries to his leg.

The residents further claimed that Olaoye had confided in some members of the community about threats to his life shortly before his death.

According to Taiye, “About two weeks before the attack, the deceased reportedly told some people that he and another person had been threatened by unknown individuals and that he feared for his life. A few days later, he was brutally attacked.”

Residents also alleged that another elderly resident who was reportedly threatened alongside the deceased had been living in fear.

The community members said several streets, including Kamoru Street, Albert Street and Badejo Ososanya Street, had been affected by previous robbery incidents.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the repeated attacks had left residents traumatised and impoverished.

“In the last six months, this area has been attacked several times. Anytime these robbers invade our community, they leave behind pain, injuries and losses. We no longer sleep with our eyes closed because we don’t know when they will strike again,” the resident said.

Another victim, who declined to be named for security reasons, said robbers had previously invaded his compound and broken into virtually every flat.

“About four weeks ago, robbers invaded my compound. They broke into virtually every flat and stole phones, cash and other valuables. Now they have returned again and killed someone. We are no longer safe,” he lamented.

Residents said the worsening security situation had forced some families to relocate from the once peaceful community.

They appealed to the Lagos State Government, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, to urgently intervene by strengthening security presence in the area.

“We are pleading with the Lagos State Government, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Commissioner of Police and the Inspector-General of Police to come to our rescue. We need security presence in our community. We can no longer sleep with our two eyes closed because of the constant attacks by armed robbers,” a resident pleaded.

The residents urged security agencies to investigate the killing, arrest those responsible and intensify patrols in the community to prevent further attacks.

They also called for urgent measures to restore peace and confidence among residents, many of whom, they said, were now considering leaving the area permanently because of the persistent insecurity.

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