How We Fell Prey To One-chance Robbers In Buses, ATMs – Victims Narrate Ordeals

 

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Some victims of hoodlums operating in commercial buses popularly known as “One-Chance’’ have relived their harrowing experiences.

They narrated how the hoodlums took them at gunpoint to some Automated Teller Machine (ATM) portals, obtain their pin numbers and withdraw money from their accounts.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the modus operandi of the robbers remains the same – luring and robbing unsuspecting commuters of valuables using the yellow buses early in the morning or at night.

A hospital worker, Mrs Philomina Nezianya, said she was robbed by a “One Chance’’ gang at about 5.30am on February 5 after boarding a bus on her way to work in Ikeja.

“I entered a bus in front of Gowon Estate Police Station by Moshalasi bus stop; I was inside the bus with other people. I didn’t know it was “one-chance bus’’ that I entered.

 

“Few minutes into our journey, I was held on the neck by one of the men sitting behind while the two on my left began to throw punches at me as they forced me to lie down.

 

“They all held me down with their knees, they collected my hand bag, took my three ATM cards, two phones, wristwatch and a cash of N27,000 as the vehicle continued in motion.

 

“While I was being strangled, the criminals demanded for pin numbers of the ATM cards and threatened to kill me if I gave them wrong pin numbers. I pleaded that I will comply but that they should not kill me,’’ she said.

The victim added that one of the criminals, referred to as “officer’’, told the others not to kill her before they dropped off one of their gang members along the road.

“About an hour later, one of them requested for acid to pour into my eyes; again I started begging them to spare my life.

“Later, they stopped somewhere and asked me to step down and that if I should shout, they will blast my head. Immediately their vehicle sped off, I shouted for help and sympathisers came to my rescue,’’ she said.

Nezianya said she was let off at Abule Egba after they withdrew N150,000 each from two bank accounts and did N100,000 transfer to another bank account.

A trader, Mrs Abiola Owusun, said she was robbed of N700, 000 last December 19, after boarding a yellow-painted bus at Gate bus-stop on Ipaja-Ayobo road.

“I boarded the bus heading to Lagos-Island for business when surprisingly five male occupants, who were already inside, pounced on me and robbed me of the N300, 000 cash, meant to buy wares for the last Christmas sales.

 

“They also collected my two ATM cards, which they used in transferring N200,000 from each of my accounts. They also collected my gold wedding rings, earrings as well as my wristwatch’’.

Owusun said after the incident, they drove to somewhere in Abule-Egba where they put pepper in her eyes. “The thieves gave me N1,000 for transport after collecting all that I had,’’ the victim said.

A bank worker said she was dispossessed of her valuables and ATM cards after she boarded a commercial bus at Moshalasi bus stop last December.

The thieves, she said, transferred over N500,000 from her accounts and humiliated her for not providing them with the secret code of her bank.

(NAN)

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