~By Oluwaseun Fabiyi
The level of crime committed and reported in the Mile 12 area along Ikorodu Road is getting stranger by the day. In fact, many say we are already living on a keg of gunpowder in some areas of Lagos State, which explains the inordinate, sadistic ways people are seeking money as crime increases daily.
The following ugly robbery story was narrated to Bethnews Media by an eyewitness who lives around Ogolonto, down part of Irawo along Ikorodu Road in Lagos, about a bizarre robbery experience an innocent, struggling POS operator, who happens to be a single mother, recently survived.
The robbery attack, which led to severe mental trauma, saw her suffering a loss of memory for more than five hours, only regaining it after sustained mental and proper care.
It was on a Wednesday evening, June 19, 2024. A woman who was faithfully dedicated to her POS job at Mile 12—a business every other woman sees as lucrative and trending all over the state—left her house for Ketu-Alapere, popularly known as Mile 12, situated along Ikorodu Road, after taking her children to school. She was doing her POS business as usual, like every other day, and was well known within that area as Madam POS, as she was fondly called by market women and passersby.
As she was reportedly about to close for the day, a dark-complexioned man came, pretending to make a withdrawal. He was so good-looking and exuded such confidence that it was obvious he was the owner of the jeep parked a short distance from her POS stand. Within her, she thought the man must be one of those big politicians. He greeted her, and she responded promptly and respectfully. Walking closely behind him were three young, lanky men. Though she was a bit intimidated by their presence, her courage sprang from the fact that she had been doing her POS business for quite some time within that environment, and at that very moment, her services were needed as a POS operator because she saw them as normal customers who wanted to make a withdrawal or send/transfer money.
Her joy was sky-high when those men assured her under the guise of making a withdrawal. She was already doing arithmetic in her head, rearranging priorities and upgrading financial plans. But joy turned to horror and revulsion when a gun and cutlasses were pointed at her head, followed by an audible voice shouting at her to bring out all her cash and hand over her POS machine or else… She summoned the courage to shout for help while dragging her little bag of money together with her POS machine, but unfortunately, there was no one to rescue her at that moment as she was overwhelmed and choked.
As of the time of filing this report, she has been hospitalized in one of the nearby private hospitals for proper treatment as she sustained serious injuries.
Oluwaseun Fabiyi is a seasoned journalist writing from Lagos.
