Tag: Abuja

Habib Yakoob, an Abuja resident, has taken to social media to share  a new strategy used by the notorious “one chance” gang to attack residents in the nation’s capital.

According to Yakoob, via his verified Facebook on Monday, said the gang’s tactics have evolved, making it difficult for commuters to distinguish between genuine passengers and potential robbers.

“Bad boys are getting more strategic and daring in Abuja these days. The “one chance” phenomenon is being redefined. It’s no longer just about jumping into a vehicle with four suspicious-looking men or women and finding yourself the lone “customer.”

“These days, even when you’re surrounded by strangers who look like regular passengers, you never can tell, you could still be walking into a trap,” he posted.

Yakoobwho, who is the spokesperson of University of Abuja (UniAbuja), narrated a recent incident on how his colleague was robbed along Airport Road while on his way to work.

“A couple of weeks ago, a colleague of mine was robbed in a small Golf car along the Airport Road on his way to work. When he boarded the vehicle, only the driver and a man pretending to be asleep were inside.

“He entered and took a seat. Another man immediately joined him behind, while a young man entered the front seat, bringing the number of people in the vehicle, including the driver, to five. They still needed two more passengers.

“The driver drove a short distance, pretending to pick up passengers. Each time someone approached, he either asked if they had change or dismissed them for flimsy reasons. It all seemed normal. Until it wasn’t.

“Eventually, he picked one man who claimed to have change. That man entered and sat behind, making four passengers in the back. Another man slipped into the front seat. They are seven now: three at the front and four behind,” he narrated.

According to him, the robbers, including the driver, strategically positioned themselves to block all exits, producing a dagger, locally made pistol, and knives to demand valuables from passengers.

He further stated that the victim and two others were robbed of their phones and money before being pushed out of the car.

“A few kilometres down the road, the driver suddenly veered to the shoulder, saying he needed to check the air in his tyres. That was when the man in the front turned to the other passenger beside him and asked for his phone. The passenger looked confused, until he noticed that his once innocent-looking co-passenger was clutching a dagger tightly.

“My colleague, who sat behind, was about to raise the alarm when he felt something cold and hard pressed into his ribs: it was a locally made pistol held by the half-asleep man he had met earlier behind the driver. Now fully alert, the man growled, “Oya, your phone, laptop, anything.”

“Only his phone and some cash were taken. The driver had parked in a way that somehow shielded the scene from passersby. At the same time, the man who had entered last in the back was now brandishing a small knife at the third passenger, demanding his belongings too.

“And that was how four bad guys including the driver strategically positioned at every exit point of the vehicle, robbed my colleague and two other passengers. After collecting their phones and money, the bandits pushed them out of the car, while the man with the gun kept pointing it at them, daring anyone to make a sound. Then they zoomed off,” he said.

Yakoob stated that his colleague, who is still grappling with how he could have avoided the “one chance” gang, is yet to recover from the traumatic incident.

“Till now, I doubt whether my colleague has recovered from the shock. He still isn’t sure how he could have avoided the trap. He has since reported the incident to the police. But as he told me, “Hmm, this country? We just have to be more cautious and prayerful these days!”,he narrated.