Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and its surrounding areas have been living under a constant state of fear as a result of the activities of criminals known as ‘one-chance robbers’.
These criminals, who are armed with AK-47s and other dangerous weapons, masquerade as drivers and passengers of commercial vehicles to commit acts of evil.
According to the testimonies of some of the victims, people in FCT Abuja and Nasarawa states, as well as Niger and Kaduna, continue to fall victim to one-chance robbers on a daily basis.
These criminals, who specialize in hijacking passengers and stealing their valuables, are also known to kill their victims, particularly those who refuse to collaborate with them.
According to Daily POST, the so-called one chance robbers often use vehicles with foreign and local license plates or foreign license plates at the rear and Nigerian license plates at the front to flee after committing their criminal activities.
According to reports, the criminal syndicate is also involved in the activities of bandit and kidnapper who wreak havoc in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its surrounding states.
The FCT Police Command said on October 13 that it had impounded about ten vehicles suspected of having been used for “one chance” activities.
The FCT CP, Mr. Haruna Garba said in a statement that three suspects had been arrested, adding that the vehicles had been impounded.
Mr. Garba said that the Anti-One Chance Squad (ACS) of the FCT Command had impounded two AK-47 guns, two magazines, and 35 live ammunition.
On October 9, another resident of FCT, Mr. Monday Adache, had been hospitalized in Kubwa General Hospital following a similar incident.
According to reports, the incident occurred on the same day.
It is recalled that on the 26th of September, 2023, a woman, Greatness Ololunfemi, was stoned to death while riding in a moving vehicle on the Maitama -Kubwa Highway.
Although most of these incidents are not reported, our correspondent has gathered that the crime is on the rise in the capital city on a daily basis, despite the efforts of security agencies in the area.
Speaking to DAILY POST, one of the victims of the crime, Ms Anthonia, recounted her experience of being picked up by criminals while on her way home from work on the 29th of October.
According to Ms Anthonia, the robbers took all her possessions, including a mobile phone valued at N800, 000, as well as all her savings, while she was on her way back from work.
“I was on my way home from my job in 2019 when I got a ‘one chance’ taxi to take me to Kubwa from Beger,” she said. “I didn’t know it was a one chance vehicle because that’s how I usually go back from work.”
As the vehicle began to move, I began to notice some strange movements from other people in the vehicle, who I had previously thought were other passengers. When I noticed them smoking in the cab, I asked them to drop me off, but they wouldn’t. One of them pulled a gun on me and told me if I didn’t cooperate, I’d be dead in a few minutes. I had no more strength left in me. I was scared and thought I’d been taken for some kind of ritual because that’s what I’ve been hearing about lately.
I was asked to hand over my bag and I complied. They searched me and took my iPhone (N800,000 worth), my ATM card and put it in their POS machine.
At first, I told them that I wouldn’t give them the PIN because they had transferred what was in my account; I and my family were dead. One of them pointed a pistol at me and told me to look back. I turned around and saw a lady who was dying. They said that the girl wouldn’t give them her PIN, so they wanted to take her life. I was so scared and didn’t want to die so I gave them the PIN. A few seconds later, my phone pinged in their hands, and I knew that my money was gone. They had transferred N500k out of my account, leaving me with N50k. They immediately took everything around the Citec Bridge and forced me out of the vehicle while it was moving. God was good because no car was coming near; otherwise I wouldn’t be here to tell this story.
They took everything around the Citec bridge right away, and they forced me out while the car was moving. God was so good to me that no car came near me, or I wouldn’t be here to tell you about it.
I lost my entire life savings in a matter of minutes, and now I have to start over from scratch. It’s hard to even go to work.
Contacted on Saturday, FCT Police PPO, SP Josephine ADeh, said, “The tactics used by the command to deal with these non-state actors will remain confidential.”
However, it is recalled that on October 19, FCT Minister Wike promised to close all the illegal motor parks operating in the FCT.
Wike, a former Rivers State governor, said the FCTA was determined to make the city crime-free.
We are receiving numerous reports of abductions and one-chance situations, which are often not reported to the public. I can assure you that the security forces have done a great job. If not, the situation in the FCT would be very different. We have established a joint security task force which includes the Social Security System, the Police, the Army, and the Navy, and they have defined the way they will work. We will demolish any unfinished buildings that have become dilapidated and they will have no place to hide.
