The pacesetter state it is called. Yes, it is known to have a record of firsts. But Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State in recent times, is becoming notorious for robbery and burglary. Taiwo Olanrewaju, Waheed Adebayo and Rotimi Ige X-rayed the situation and posit the way forward.SHE is the wife of a senior police officer in Oyo State. She was coming back from church with her children and house help on a Sunday in January this year when disaster struck. She had actually got home; she drove into her compound and as she got down from the vehicle, some armed young men urged her to cooperate with them.At gun point, her family was marched into the living room where the woman was asked to put on the generator in order to put the neighbours in the dark about their operation. They robbed the family of their valuables which they made away with in the family's car. The car and valuables are yet to be found.The above scenario is one of the many ugly experiences of residents of Oyo State in the last three weeks.Before now, Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State was a tranquil and peaceful place to live in. The reasons are not farfetched; its proximity to the economic hub of Nigeria, Lagos, it's cultural and aesthetic appeal and lastly, the relative cheapness of goods and services when compared to Lagos.With the economic expansion of Lagos, the state found it increasingly hard to cope with the resultant surging population and so cities like Ibadan witnessed massive influx of people and businesses, which helped the city grow economically.However, in a sad twist of fate, things have gone awry in the city of Ibadan, with particular reference to crime. The streets are no longer safe, as was observed during the fuel subsidy protests, when hoodlums took over most of Ibadan streets, harassing and robbing innocent passersby, and even defying the imposed curfew by the state government.During that time, the residents of most suburbs within the city did not sleep at night, as they kept vigil to ward off the night marauders who virtually took over the city.When the state government, led by Governor Abiola Ajimobi launched a new task force code named Operation Burst, many residents heaved a sigh of relief. However, it seems that criminals have frustrated the efforts of Operation Burst, as the effectiveness to tackle crime in recent times has been in doubt.Now, the issue of robbery is the major occurrence bedevilling the state and its capital and from the look of things, the security outfits in the state have been caught unawares. Every day, there are reports of car snatching, burglaries, organised armed robberies etc all over the city, and thus, worrying residents as to whether there is any security in the state.Last Sunday, around 7.00a.m, a young lady was driving to church around Oluyole area of Ibadan, when she was waylaid by three armed men and her car, forcefully taken from her. She was beaten and taken away, before she was finally dropped at Idi Ayunre, on the outskirts of Ibadan. According to her, they did not meet any policeman or security operative at any point from Apata to the point where she was dropped (some 15 kilometers or thereabout).Also, recently, the car of a PUNCH newspaper correspondent was stolen within the premises of the state secretariat. It has not been found till date.Last Wednesday, an SUV, belonging to a pastor was snatched at gunpoint around Olorunsogo area in Ibadan under the overhead bridge.Mr Patrick Ola, who was returning home after a hard day's job at about 10p.m. two weeks ago said, he noticed three men standing at the Anfani junction along M.K.O. Abiola Road (former Ring Road). He watched them through the mirror and ensured that they were neither pursuing nor following him.In his words, 'When I got home, I said my prayers and went to bed. But between 12.30 a.m. and 1a.m., I heard a very heavy bang on the door. I thought I was dreaming because the bang was so loud that people in Challenge area of Ibadan could hear it from Ring Road. I went into the sitting room to confirm if they were actually in my apartment.'Lo and behold, they had broken one of my security doors and I overheard them saying one person could not carry the stone they brought for the operation. It was at that point that my instinct told me that I had to escape for dear life. It was while I was trying to escape that I sustained injuries on my leg, arm and neck. 'Ola did not remember to pick his telephone sets while he made good his escape in boxer's shorts and a singlet. He said he thought he would be able to mobilise his neighbours to call the police or the neighbourhood watch. But there was none to assist him. Meanwhile, he was deeply soaked in blood as he bled profusely.He said he walked on the street until he got to a nearby church where the women had just concluded their vigil.The robbers kept banging on his door. He pleaded with the women to help him call the police. Either out of fear or because they did not have the police's number, the women could not assist him. He, however, pleaded that he be taken a the hospital which the women did.While in the hospital, his neighbours came to inform him about how the robbers had collected their mobile sets and laptops and locked them all up in an apartment before heading to Ola's flat. He said the incident had been reported at Orita Challenge Division.Similarly, Mrs Sade Ogun told the Nigerian Tribune that she and members of her family were safely tucked away in bed when the night marauders called and made away with the family's mobile sets, torch and laptops.'When my husband woke up the following morning and demanded for a torch, I asked him to pick it at the side of the bed. But alas! Neither the torch nor my husband's mobile sets, which he equally kept by the side of the bed were anywhere to be found.'It dawned on the family later, that some unwanted visitors had gained entry into their home. They, however, wondered why they did not wake up while the operation lasted. Also, they discovered during the day that the 'visitors' gained entrance through the ceiling.Also, Nigerian Tribune learnt that a Fulani identified as Sada Dogo was last Friday killed by suspected armed robbers.The suspected robbers were said to have stormed his residence at Igboora in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of the state in the early hours.One Olagoke Anthony, a staff of the council, had his house burgled by suspected armed robbers while he was in the office. He told the Nigerian Tribune that about N60,000 belonging to him, his wife and the children were taken away by the robbers.According to him, the suspected robbers had invaded his house by jumping through the fence.Tajudeen Jimoh, a motor mechanic, told the Nigerian Tribune that he had gone to the mosque around 2.00p.m. with his motorcycle and after the payer, he discovered that it had been stolen.Jimoh, a resident of Iberekodo, in Ibarapa Central, said that the motorcycle was parked outside the mosque but unfortunately, it was yet to be found despite that fact the theft was reported at the Igboora Divisional Police Station.The council chairman, Honourable Akinyemi Akinlabi, who confirmed the incident disclosed that crime rates in the area had been on increase in the last three months.Akinlabi who confirmed the killing of the Fulani by suspected armed robbers in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, said that about 40 motorcycles had been stolen in the council area in the last three months.In the same vein, in the last three weeks, there have been countless reports of home robberies all over the city of Ibadan, from Akobo to Airport road axes, and spread all over the city. This development has prompted the question, 'Is Ibadan really safe to live in''.According to Okeke Melvin, a business owner, the spate of robberies within the state capital is worrying. Said he, 'It started during the fuel subsidy crisis, when some boys, in the name of protesting, started extorting shop owners and breaking into shops close to the road. Then, they defied the curfew order and went ahead to rob neighbourhoods. We thought it was because they were hungry as most of them were artisans and bus boys that relied on daily pay but now we have been proved wrong.'Hardly does any day go by without an incident of car snatching at gunpoint or robbery at night. It is saddening that the police have not or cannot contain the situation.'The issue of security does not apply even to highbrow areas any longer. Last week Monday, at the Are junction, in Loyola Estate, homes were robbed in broad daylight as home owners woke up to knocks from the robbers announcing their arrival.Even areas like Bodija, Agbowo etc are not left out as residents daily, make trips to the police stations to report cases of theft.Who is responsible for the breakdown of law and order, one might be forced think.While some blame the unemployed and majorly uneducated youths roaming the streets, others blame the political office holders who are in the habit of sponsoring violence, especially during elections, by engaging the services of thugs and street urchins. The weapons and ammunition distributed by these politicians are what are said to be used by the political thugs to terrorise innocent citizens, especially after such elections.David Sholabi, a public servant, called on the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to task security agencies to tackle the onslaught of criminal activities in the state.He said that the thugs who had invaded the state were painting his administration in bad light, especially the police adding that this was not what they (the people) voted for.Raheem Wasiu Mayowa, of Bale Agbe Quarters, Oje Owode, in his write up sent to the Nigerian Tribune on the security challenges faced by Nigerians, posited that there was no doubt that the development of any society is largely hinged on the extent of the security of lives and properties of its citizenry. He wrote, 'Nigeria's current security system cannot but be porous, given its state. Security agencies in any advanced country are not run the way we run ours. One thing that is crystal clear is the fact that many a crime is not committed in isolation, therefore, fighting them can never be done independently without co-opting the citizens too. Most criminal gangs operate in a network-like pattern. And to track them also, a kind of web-like solution that would involve the people in the vicinity should be experimented with.'What baffles one a lot is that the criminals that commit series of offences on the land reside in the midst of the people. How come then that it is difficult or even practically impossible to track them down' This means something fundamental is amiss. One of the missing links is that the internal security agencies in the country, especially the police, lack the required professionalism. How' Any security agency that must operate successfully must be friendly with the citizens. This philosophy, if it exists at all in the Nigeria Police only applies in theory and not in practical. The police are so hated that the entire populace regards them as a devil that they don't want to have any business with or relate with on any issue whatsoever.'From his view, it is evident that the police must be ready to rise up to the challenges and embrace a citizen friendly approach to operate as expected.One of the victims, who do not want her name in print, urged the police to note that these hoodlums were young men between the ages of 35 and 40, armed with guns and who operated at odd hours and in unexpected places.To tackle them, therefore, 'the Police, especially the Operation Burst must be ready to work at odd hours and comb the nooks and crannies of the state.'Responding on what the police was doing to curb the seeming security laxity, Femi Okanlawon, the Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, said during the strike protest, the Commissioner of Police himself, Mr Moses Onireti, led a team which dislodged the hoodlums who were extorting people.Also, in an attempt to stem the activities of the hoodlums, the state government, under the leadership of Governor Isiaq Ajimobi declared a curfew which lasted a week while the state police command, under the Commissioner of Police, Moses Onireti, added 20 more patrol teams to the existing ones.Okanlawon, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune on phone, urged Nigerians to report cases of attacks and assaults at the nearest police station, adding that, 'there is nothing the police can do in a situation where such incidents are not reported.
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