Brit Hi Comm’s 1st Quarter incident report

This report has been compiled using information received from the diplomatic communities, security consultants and expatriates within Nigeria. In addition some items have been taken from press reports. Whilst we try to ensure that the report is as accurate as possible, some items may be less reliable than others may. Please find below a summary of the security related incidents, which were noted by, or reported to, the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos during the period of 1st January 2006 � 31st March 2006.

JANUARY

09 January 2006: Surulere Divisional Police Command arrested a suspected-armed robber in possession of one locally constructed firearm. The suspect was said to have robbed the occupants of No.16 Eric Moore Road, Surulere.

10 January 2006: An unidentified-armed robber who operated on a motorcycle (Okada) with two other men was lynched by an irate mob along Ikorodu expressway after stealing a woman�s handbag. His two accomplices escaped unharmed.

10 January 2006: IPWA factory at Plot 1 Oba Akran Avenue, Ikeja, was found to be on fire whilst maintenance work was conducted on the factory. A combined team of policemen, company staff and fire fighters later put out the fire. The value of property destroyed is yet unknown. Management centre Police Division is investigating.

12 January 2006: An unidentified man was shot dead while several others were wounded in a Sallah Day robbery operation in the Ojo Branch of Union Bank. The robbers were alleged to have held the residents of that community at gunpoint, firing indiscriminately into the air, whilst other robbers entered the bank. The robbers were equipped with an iron-cutting machine, a gas cylinder and a wielding machine.

12 January 2006: Three suspected armed robbers, one of whom was dressed in a mobile police uniform, were arrested at the five star bus stop along Apapa and Oshodi. The robbers were said to be robbing passengers on various commercial buses when one of the victims raised the alarm.

22 January 2006: Security Guards at Iyala Street, Mushin, arrested two suspected armed robbers alleged to be members of five-man armed gang who robbed a man of three cell phones and the sum of N24,000 in their compound.

22 January 2006: A gang of armed men invaded a residence on Isheri Holiday Inn Street, Ojodu, and robbed customers and staff of several cell phones, an unspecified amount of cash and other valuable items. The robbers also shot and killed a man and escaped before the arrival of policemen from Ojodu Division.

23 January 2006: Four armed men followed a French national from Victoria Island to his residence on Bourdillion Road, Ikoyi. They then robbed him and his colleague, a South African National, of four cell phones, two HP lap-top computers, credit cards, work permit, resident card and about seventy thousand Naira. The robbers escaped from the scene before the arrival of anti-robbery squad drafted in from Ikoyi Division. SCID Panti is investigating.

24 January 2006: The police in Ibadan aborted a protest rally and subsequently arrested some activists sympathetic to the impeachment of the former Governor, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja. The activists had, while vowing to continue the protest rally, warned that the protest would spread to other parts of the country and not just within Oyo State alone. The arrival of the police deployed to stop the rally was enough to stem the spread of the protest to the other parts of the State Capital but the protesters maintained that lawlessness in the country must stop.

26 January 2006: Whilst in the Church grounds, in Bida-Niger State, two unknown gunmen assassinated an assistant Bishop of an Anglican Church. The Police are detaining two security men for interrogation.

29 January 2006: One suspected armed robber was shot and killed at Komo filling station, Aswani, while five others escaped with gunshot injuries. Police recovered one locally made firearm, one live cartridge and eight expended shells.

29 January 2006: Over thirty armed men equipped with industrial tools broke into Balogun Business Association Market at the Trade Fair Complex and raided sixteen shops in Ogun Plaza. An Anti Robbery Team from Trade Fair Division who responded after the criminals had fled the scene recovered ten expended shotgun cartridges.

30 January 2006: Police in Shangisha, Lagos arrested three suspected armed robbers after they robbed a man of his Toyota starlet car. N21,000 and twenty eight thousand CFA were recovered from the suspects including the car.

FEBRUARY

01 February 2006: A suspected armed robber in possession of one local double barrel shotgun was lynched by an irate mob at Apapa area.

01 February 2006: Five armed men invaded Inland Specialist Hospital on Ogudu Road, Ogudu and stole over N1,300,000,000 and several cell Phones. One of the patients was injured during the robbery.

05 February 2006: Two factions of Social Miscreants (Area Boys) armed with guns, cutlasses and cudgels from Obalende Area of Adeniji Adele and Oluwole area of Ebute-Ero, engaged in a disturbance along Nnamdi Azikwe Street, Lagos. A team of policemen was deployed to the scene to restore peace. Thirteen suspects were arrested.

06 February 2006: An anti-robbery team attached to Ikoyi Division arrested one armed robbery suspect in Shagari Estate, Ipaja. Three others are still at large, they robbed two male expatriate staff working for Globacom, taking two Lap-Top Computers, assorted jewellery, three cell phones and a yet to be estimated amount of money in Naira and Foreign currency.

06 February 2006: About ten hoodlums armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons invaded Ile-Epo Bus stop, Ajegunle Ikorodu Road, harassed passengers and damaged two Volkswagen Mini Buses and other vehicles. The hoodlums fled in different directions on sighting the police but the leader of the group was arrested.

06 February 2006: A wall at No.38 Salami Street, Oworonshonki collapsed onto the adjacent building at No.2 Lone Street, killing a woman.

07 February 2006: Several, yet to be identified men, armed with edged weapons invaded ETO Chris Ventures, on Badagry Expressway killing three security guards.

07 February 2006: Armed robbers attacked a branch of a Bank at Owode Onirin on Ikorodu Road. They entered the bank at the rear, via the sea shore by boat, held customers and workers of the Bank hostage for close to an hour. The robbers carried sophisticated weapons, including sub-machine guns. Shots were discharged at the scene with no recorded injuries or deaths. The robbers fled with an undisclosed amount of money and also escaped by boat.

08 February 2006: A man was beaten to death by two yet to be identified motorcyclist Operators (Okada drivers), along Adepitan Street, Alapere following a minor dispute.

12 February 2006: A suspected armed robber was arrested while others escaped, after a robbery at No.13 Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.

12 February 2006: A female pedestrian and a suspected-armed robber riding a motorcycle were killed after the robber drove into the woman along Badagry Expressway. The collision occurred during the robber�s attempted escape after robbing a resident on 1st Avenue, FESTAC Town, of two cell phones and N1,500.

13 February 2006: A gang of armed robbers stole a Jeep and robbed four Ghanaian occupants of two cell phones, one digital camera, jewellery, cash sum in various currencies, along Apapa Oshodi Expressway. Police later recovered the Jeep where it was abandoned at Olabini Street, Papa Ajao, Mushin.

14 February 2006: A trader at Tejuosho Market, Yaba, had his cell phone, golden necklace, and cash of N12,500 stolen by a gang of armed robbers.

13 February 2006: A group of social miscreants (Area Boys) armed with cutlasses, cudgels, axis, broken bottles and other dangerous weapons who travelled in ten commercial buses, attacked a team of policemen from Area F Ikeja and Alausa Division. The attackers inflicted injuries on the policemen whilst on traffic duties at Ojota, along Ikorodu Expressway. The Area Boys also vandalised the patrol vehicle on charge to the policemen.

14 February 2006: Five armed robbers entered a residence on Shipeolu Street, Palm Groove, and robbed the occupant of eight cell phones, jewellery, one Mercury Villager Bus (Reg.No.CW-998-SMK) and N50,000. Two other men in the area sustained severe gunshot wounds from the robbers who escaped the scene.

15 February 2006: A suspected armed robber was arrested whilst he and an accomplice attempted to rob petrol attendants at AP filling station, Adura bus-stop, Alagbado. Two hand guns and eight rounds of ammunition were recovered from the suspects.

15 February 2006: Three armed robbers operating on a motorcycle snatched an AK 47 rifle with sixteen live rounds of ammunition from a policeman whilst he was on patrol at Adurosaki Street, along Anuoluwapo Junction. One of the suspects was arrested and the rifle recovered.

15 February 2006: One of two armed robbers, who attempted to rob several Naval Officers whilst driving past the Lagos State University gate, Ojo, along Badagry Expressway was overpowered, and hung by an irate mob who gathered at the scene. The Naval Officers drove away with a recovered firearm.

15 February 2006: Three armed robbers entered a residence on Alausa Street, Ilasamaja, and robbed the occupants of two cell phones and personal effects before escaping.

15 February 2006: One person was killed and several others seriously injured in Ibadan when two rival groups of the Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) fighting for supremacy clashed.

19 February 2006: There was a fire outbreak in a popular restaurant in Mosafejo Oshodi main market. The cause of fire, which destroyed property worth millions of Naira, is yet to be ascertained. A team of combat policemen and members of the public brought the fire under control. No life was lost.

20 February 2006: A group of students of the Lagos State University took up arms against the State Government and the school authority following an increase in school fees. The students barricaded all the gates leading to the campus and set up bonfires on the roads, threw missiles of petrol bombs and fired gun shots sporadically to ward off the police. The anti-riot squad employed tear gas to disperse the students. One student fatality was recorded in the skirmish.

20 February 2006: Officers of the Maroko Police Division, along Lagos-Epe Expressway arrested two suspected armed robbers who opened fire on the police team in a bid to secure the release of some other arrested robbers. One handgun with six rounds of ammunition was recovered.

22 February 2006: Men of the Iponri Police Division patrolling on Igammu Bridge, rescued passengers in a Volkswagen minibus which were being attacked by armed robbers. The police shot and killed one of the suspects while two others were arrested. Two firearms were recovered.

23 February 2006: Students of Ishashai Grammar School, armed with cutlasses and charms, went on rampage and disrupted the institutions inter-house sports meeting and damaged the windscreens of two cars parked on the school premises. A team of policemen drafted to the scene brought the situation under control.

24 February 2006: Three suspected armed robbers were arrested near Alimosho bus stop, Ipaja. The suspects were arrested while operating on a motorcycle from which they snatched a handbag from their victim containing N15,000.

MARCH

05 March 2006: Five people, including two policemen, died in Ojo area of Ibadan in a bloody clash between policemen and suspected criminals. Trouble reportedly broke out when a team of policemen attempted to raid a criminal hideout.

05 March 2006: A gang of about twenty-nine youths alleged to be students of the University of Ado-Ekiti were arrested for an alleged robbery attempt in an area in Ikoro-Ekiti, Ijero Local Government Area of Ekiti-State. The youths, said to be 400-Level students of the University, were found with series of dangerous weapons including cutlasses, cudgels and knives.

05 March 2006: Four armed men forced entry into a residence in Ibadan Close, Opebi Ikeja and robbed the resident of three gold wrist watches, two cell phones, assorted jewellery, approximately N25,000 in cash and one Nigerian passport.

06 March 2006: The Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation, accompanied by armed policemen, demolished a mosque at Allen Junction. The uncompleted building, with roof suspended with the aid of iron rods, had served as a makeshift mosque for Moslems at Alade market and its environs. The building was situated a few meters from the canal, which may have contravened the Lagos State Physical Planning and Urban Development Laws. It is not clear if the building was demolished as a result of its illegality or due to closeness to the canal.

07 March 2006: The Federal Housing Authority in Lagos, accompanied by forty anti-riot policemen, evicted about 3,000 people living at a federal estate located between Isheri and Igando, in Alimosho Local Government area of Lagos State. The policemen, who were drafted from MOPOL 20, allegedly assaulted the residents and forcibly removed doors and windows of most of the flats in the 600-unit housing estate. It was established that the residents had been evicted twice by the FHA but had returned to the estate after each occasion.

08 March 2006: Part of the 13-storey Stallion House on Ajose Adegun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, was destroyed by fire, consuming property worth millions of naira and vital oil industry data. The building houses incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Pension Fund and the NNPC, Oando PLC, National Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO) and Stallion Property Development Company (SPDC). The blaze, which lasted for about six hours, was suspected to have been caused by a faulty generator. No life was lost in the incident.

10 March 2006: About fifteen armed men broke into Fagbemi Filling Station, Festac Extension, and destroyed one of the safes and removed a yet to be estimated amount of money. A Police intervention did not deter the robbers who succeeded in stealing the money even after sustaining bullet wounds under heavy exchange of gunfire. One revolver with six rounds of live ammunition and two gas cylinders were recovered at the scene.

11 March 2006: Five people died and four others were severely injured following a clash between members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Owode town in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. The party factions were fighting for supremacy in the control of party affairs in the area.

12 March 2006: Policemen of the Morogbo Police Division, Lagos, acting on a tip off, arrested four suspected armed robbers at Ibiye Phase 2, Morogbo, with one handgun, one live cartridge, one arrow and assorted charms concealed in a bag.

12 March 2006: About forty-five heavily armed robbers invaded Alaba Community Bank at Alaba International Market. Twenty-five wounded armed robbers were arrested by Ojo Police after the incident. Items recovered from this incident included the robber’s vehicle, two motorcycles, 500 expended ammunition cases and several tools.

13 March 2006: Men of the Nigerian Police Force attached to Shomolu Division, Lagos, acting on a tip-off, arrested one man from a gang of suspected armed robbers operating on a commercial bus and seized the vehicle whilst the other robbers escaped. The criminals robbed a passenger in the bus of N45,000, one cell phone, one PHCN identity card and a wristwatch.

13 March 2006: A team of policemen drafted from Ikotun Police Division foiled the activities of vandals suspected to have vandalised NNPC pipelines in the Ijegun area of Ikotun. The vandals spotted the police and fled the scene abandoning one trailer tanker filled with substance suspected to be petroleum, with a hose still affixed to the pipeline.

14 March 2006: Three suspected armed robbers were shot and killed by police while raiding the residents in Alabe Street, Isolo and Abaraje Road, Ikotun, Lagos. One handgun, seven live cartridges and some of the stolen property were recovered from the deceased robbers.

15 March 2006: Local gang members (Area Boys) at Shobade and Adeleye streets, Orile Igamu, armed with sticks, bottles and other dangerous weapons were involved in local clashes. A total of six vehicles were vandalised during the disturbance.

16 March 2006: A gang of about thirty armed robbers stormed the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) in Unity area of Ilorin, Kwara State, and attempted to rob the bank in an operation that lasted over three hours. Police intervened and foiled the attempted robbery.

26 March 2006: One man in a gang of three armed robbers was shot and killed whilst attempting to break in through a window of Sterling Bank located along Igaidugaran, Lagos. The other two robbers escaped with bullet wounds.

27 March 2006: A Mopol attached to a yet to be identified squadron was shot and killed by four armed men suspected to be armed robbers that had disguised as passengers and boarded an Ojota bound commercial bus from Otto-Wharf. The hoodlums fled from the vehicle near New Garage Bridge.

27 March 2006: A gang of six armed robbers, robbed a French national on a visit to Nigeria when he stopped to seek directions to Wahum on Ayodele Diyan Road, Ikeja, Lagos. The robbers who were lurking around in darkness simply attacked the man and the driver of the car he had hired from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport. Items stolen included the man�s International Passport (No.500190858), Credit cards, money, British Airways ticket and luggage.
27 March 2006: Opposing factions of social miscreants (Area Boys) numbering over five hundred, engaged in heavy fighting, for reasons unknown, in Kadara and the cemetery area of Ebute-Metta. Vehicles and shops were vandalised and robbed. Six teams of Anti Riot Policemen were drafted into the troubled area to quell the riot.

27 March 2006: Factions of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) clashed at Fadeye/Onipanu area of Surulere, firing weapons at random, causing panic and apprehension in the area. Police were deployed to the area to disperse the hoodlums. No casualties were reported.

29 March 2006 Six armed men invaded Maddy Chemist Supermarket Nigeria Limited, situated at No.10 Association Avenue, Ilupeju, and stole cell phones, jewellery, and unspecified amount of money. The thieves escaped with a customer�s BMW saloon car. Men of the Ilupeju Police Division later recovered the BMW saloon car and one firearm.

30 March 2006: Police shot and killed three suspected armed robbers from a gang of five operating on motor bikes at Okokomaiko. Two pistols, seven live cartridges and one motorcycle were recovered from the robbers.

30 March 2006: Police in Ogbomosho, Osun State, acting on a tip-off, arrested a woman in possession of human body parts and organs. The aged woman had in her possession six human skulls, one human foot, twenty dried ribs and four human hearts. The woman is said to have been selling human parts to customers in Ogbomosho and Ilorin.

31 March 2006: Policemen attached to the National Agency For Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) arrested four men at the local government dump site, Shagamu, the scene of NAFDAC destruction exercise. The men were trying to steal fake pharmaceutical products already marked for destruction. Over one million Naira worth of products was recovered.