Deadly robbery gang in Lagos

•They are called ‘one million boys’

•Rape old women

•Residents opt for self-defence
Imagine a million-man gang storming a community for robbery operation! It definitely is hell on earth. But this is what makes Lagos tick, or Lagosians jittery, as a new set of robbers known as ‘One Million Boys’ have laid siege to parts of the state, causing havoc and sleeplessness. However, their numerical strength does not in any way tally with their appellation.
Fact is that they gave themselves that label because they always move in large group. It was gathered that they move in group of about 20 men and above, and sometimes they up the number when going out for robbery operations. The gang has sent jitters down the spines of people living in Orile-Coker, Apapa-Iganmu and Ifelodun Local Council Development Areas, as well as Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Government Area. Other areas the gang has conquered with fear, according to sources, are Ijesha in Aguda/Surulere Local Council Development Area and the adjoining environs.

They operate with dangerous weapons ranging from cutlass, charms and other sophisticated weapons. Sources said they sometimes converged on relaxation spots where they put finishing touches to their operations, or outright robbery of patrons of the spots before moving on. As a result of this development, many hotels and clubs in the areas have taken precautionary measures against the gangsters in the past weeks, as they were said to have visited some and left their trademark of tears and sorrow. It was also gathered that when they go for robbery operation they take delight in raping old women. Unconfirmed report had it that during one of their operations, they compelled a man to have sex with his mother, which he refused, and was eventually killed. Sunday Sun authoritatively reports that the gang’s activities have raised high level security in these areas as the youths have set up vigilante groups at night to secure their streets.

And to make it effective, each tenement building contributes one or two volunteers for the vigilante groups. In Orile, it was learnt that some members of the Odua People’s Congress (OPC) have taken it upon themselves to guard vulnerable areas. In some streets, because of the fear of the so-called ‘One Million Boys’ there is embargo on night parties by the residents’ associations, and where allowed, it is restricted to 11 p.m. Besides, the celebrant must obtain permit from the association 72 hours before the event, so that adequate security could be put in place. The police in these troubled areas have also raised their visibility to a very significant level with constant patrol at night. Investigations revealed that so far Apapa-Iganmu, Ifelodun and Ajeromi-Ifelodun local government areas are feeling the heat of the ‘One Million Boys’ more than other parts of the state and residents are devising self-defence strategies to counter them.

Top officers of the police in these troubled areas are not taking the criminals’ threats lightly, as they have ordered their men to put the ‘boys’ in check. But when Sunday Sun called the Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, to confirm the gang’s activities, she refused to comment on the ground that she did not know the reporter. Even when prodded further with details and told that by virtue of her office she needs not know everybody before commenting on phone, she still was adamant. “What did you call your name again?” she asked, but after a repeated introduction, she said, “I don’t know you, so I cannot confirm any information to you. I don’t confirm information to people I don’t know. People have been calling me different names,” she added and switched off.

The call went through after numerous attempts spanning several days. But sources close to police confirm the presence of the gang. Some said they were a group of young hoodlums, and that “police are already getting rid of them”. Others said the name ‘One Million Boys’ was really creating fear in the areas, but the police have intensified efforts to bring the situation under control. “We hear about it, but we have not encountered them.

What we usually hear is that some three or four boys enter a room, beat up the occupants and collect their money and phones,” the sources said. It was gathered that majority of the gang’s members are young boys in their early twenties and with some women members.

Source: Sun