A journalist working for PUNCH, Babatunde Titiola, fell victim to an attack and robbery by ‘one chance’ criminals in a public vehicle along the Sagamu sector of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday morning.
PUNCH Metro reports that the incident took place around 6:40 am.
The term ‘one chance’ is commonly used in Nigeria to describe a scenario where a group of criminals pretends to be passengers in order to rob unsuspecting individuals who are waiting for public transportation.
In an interview with our correspondent, Babatunde disclosed that despite there being five occupants in the vehicle, he didn’t suspect they were armed robbers.
Babatunde recounted being forcefully ejected from the moving vehicle, during which his wallet, phones, money, and other belongings were stolen.
Describing the incident, he said, “I was traveling to Sagamu when I boarded a typical public transport vehicle at the Magboro bus stop around 6:40 am. There were five of us in the bus, including a woman.
“Suddenly, the driver’s behavior changed. Although I couldn’t understand the language being spoken, I realized something was amiss when the driver mentioned he couldn’t continue the journey with me.”
“I don’t recall the exact location they purportedly were taking me, as I am familiar with the area.”
“At one point, I lost consciousness, and it was then that they forcibly pushed me out of the moving vehicle. It was at that moment I discovered my phones, wallet, and money were missing, leaving me with only my wrist accessories.”
Efforts to reach the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Florence Okpe, for comments were unsuccessful at the time of reporting, as calls and messages to her phone went unanswered.
Meanwhile, authorities at the Ilasan Divisional Police Headquarters of the Lagos State Police Force apprehended four members of a ‘one chance’ gang on Wednesday.
This development was confirmed through a statement released on X (formerly Twitter) by Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer.
PUNCH Metro learned that the suspects were captured following a victim’s report that they fraudulently withdrew a sum of N1.4 million from her account during a ‘one chance’ incident in the Ilasan vicinity of Lagos.
According to the statement, “Detectives from Ilasan Division have arrested Habeeb Azeez, aged 29; Michael Adeyeye, aged 26; Biodun Iyiola, aged 46; and Adeleye Dotun, aged 27 in Ijora-Badia after a thorough investigation into a complaint by a victim, alleging that the suspects illegally withdrew N1.4 million from her account during a ‘one chance’ robbery at Ilasan.”