A woman identified as Jennifer Obiora, has shared the traumatic details of how she was robbed and thrown out of a moving vehicle by criminals operating a 'one-chance' commercial bus in Lagos. The incident occurred on Monday evening when Obiora boarded a yellow commercial bus at Iponri, en route to Alaka. Unbeknownst to her, the bus was a trap set by thieves.
Obiora recalled the terrifying experience, describing it as a "horrible" ordeal. She revealed that she was robbed of her iPhone 11 Pro Max and N10,000 in cash before being violently pushed out of the moving bus. Obiora explained, “It was a 16-passenger bus, larger than the usual small Korope buses. At first, it was just me, the driver, and another passenger who appeared to be a regular commuter. He had a bag with him and was using his phone, just like I was.”
As the journey progressed, the man sitting next to her advised her to put her phone away, suggesting that phone snatching was common in the area. She said, “I thought he was just being cautious, so I put my phone in my handbag. Later, he told me to fasten my seatbelt, which I started doing with one hand. He insisted I use both hands, and that’s when the situation took a turn.” According to Obiora, while she was distracted by the seatbelt, the man opened her bag, stole everything inside, and then forcibly pushed her out of the bus when she was still holding onto the seatbelt.
"They opened the door and shoved me out," she recounted. "I fell on the ground, but thankfully, the pavement was soft with sand and grass, which prevented serious injury." As she lay on the ground, two motorcycle riders offered to help, attempting to chase the thieves, but their efforts were unsuccessful. She then pleaded for a ride to the nearest police station, where she filed a report.
At the crime scene, she was able to recover some of her belongings, including her keys, which had been discarded by the robbers. Obiora lamented that the robbery took place just a short distance from the Iponri Police Area Command, highlighting the ongoing issue of security in the area. “It’s shocking that such incidents happen so close to a police station. It seems like these criminals are operating with impunity,” she said.