Hoodlums rob BRT passengers in Lagos, vandalise vehicle

Some hoodlums in the Orile axis of Lagos State on Tuesday vandalised a BRT bus and robbed its passengers.

A witness who was also a passenger on the bus, Dare Abiola, said the hoodlums, under the guise of protesting the seizure of motorcycles by the state’s task force, carried out the robbery operation around 1 p.m.

Mr Abiola told PREMIUM TIMES that his smartphone and some money were stolen in his bag.

“I boarded a BRT bus from Mile 2 going to CMS. When we got to the Odunade bus stop, we noticed a crowd had gathered, and some were marching to the Orile bus stop.

“From what we heard, they said they were going to Orile police station to go and attack some policemen who I learnt had raided some motorcyclists around Odunade-Coker axis.

“As we moved further, the crowd grew. When we got to Alafia bus stop, in front of the NNPC fuel station, some guys started breaking the BRT windshield and the windows,” Mr Abiola recounted.

He said many passengers were robbed while some got injured.

“Personally, they collected my bag and my phone. Before I released the items, they threatened to stab me with a Trophy bottle,” he added.

The witness said the daylight robbery went on for about 20 to 30 minutes without the intervention of the police, adding that he went to the Orile police station to make a formal complaint.

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Mr Abiola also noted that he had to call his wife using a POS operator’s phone, asking her to do some money transfer so he could return home.

Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos State police spokesperson, confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday.

However, he said he does not have the details of the incident yet.