Residents and business owners in the Offin, Ogunlewe, and Bayeku areas of Ikorodu, Lagos State, have expressed growing concerns over a series of repeated robbery incidents affecting the community.
The victims, mostly business owners, revealed that the robberies have been ongoing for several weeks, severely impacting their operations. One of the affected business owners, Bukola Adanri, shared her painful experience of being robbed in November.
Adanri, who owns a boutique on Bayeku Road, said her shop was broken into during the night, with thieves making off with goods valued at millions of naira. “I discovered my shop was ransacked on November 12, when I came back after helping with my church's harvest week activities. I arrived around 3 PM only to find the entire shop cleared out. The thieves took everything slippers, handbags, ladies' wear, jeans, blouses, gowns, and even men’s wear,” Adanri explained.
She also mentioned that a neighbouring fashion designer’s shop was robbed on the same night, with thieves taking newly purchased Ankara fabric. Two weeks later, a larger boutique in the area was also targeted. Adanri reported the incident to the police at the Igbogbo Road police barracks in Ikorodu, where a female officer came to take photos of the scene and collected a ₦3,000 fee. Since then, however, she claimed to have received no follow-up or updates on the case.
Similarly, Festus, a pharmacy shop owner on Bayeku Road, recounted a distressing robbery at his store. According to him, the thief entered through the back by breaking the glass, leaving behind blood stains from an apparent injury. The thief used the store's first aid kit to tend to his wound while stealing various supplements, medications, and other valuable items.
“My store was broken into, and many of my high-priced medications were taken. The thief was clearly injured, and blood was left all over my shelves,” Festus said. “It was a very unsettling experience, and I had to restock the pharmacy under difficult circumstances.”
Other local business owners have reported similar incidents in recent weeks, with one anonymous resident confirming multiple robberies of shops in the area, including a weavon shop and a store selling foodstuffs. Another resident, Okanlawon, attributed the rise in robberies to the lack of adequate police patrols in the area.
“There is almost no security presence here, which has contributed significantly to the ongoing thefts. Many businesses have been affected, and it is becoming a serious concern,” Okanlawon said. With the festive season approaching, Okanlawon warned that the situation could worsen, as criminals often take advantage of the period to engage in unlawful activities.
He called on the authorities to take immediate action to address the security lapse and ensure the safety of residents and business owners. Efforts to contact the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Benjamin Hundeyin, for comments on the matter were unsuccessful, as phone calls went unanswered and text messages remained unreplied at the time of this report.