Ibadan: Residents express concern over Mokola street phone sellers

RESIDENTS around the Mokola/Cultural Centre axis of the city of Ibadan have raised concerns over the recent increase in the number of street urchins selling used mobile phones and top of the range mobile devices on their streets. According to them, the presence of these youths had become unsettling as they (the youth) are reported to always storm the Mokola Roundabout/UCH Road/ Cultural Centre Road, clutching top of the range mobile handsets and devices and wristwatches which were usually sold at ridiculous prices.Ironically, Mokola Roundabout is home to most of the major phone retailers and distribution shops in Ibadan and a walk into any of the shops would reveal a staggering difference in prices.This has led residents in the area to suspecting the source of the handsets sold to the unsuspecting public, usually motorists caught in traffic due to the flyover being constructed around that area by the state government.The residents said that the presence of the youth selling used handsets was particularly unsettling, especially given the fact that they plied their trade in front of the Mokola Police Station. According to a source, who spoke on condition of anonimity, the youth, at the beginning of every week, paid a 'trading fees' to their street chairman, who in turn defended them if they ran foul of the law."These boys are rogues. Where do they get the phones that they sell from' Most of the phones you see them holding out to you are expensive phones like Blackberry, Iphones and high end Nokia phones. Some of the phones, at the shops cost more than N50,000 and these boys would sell to you at less than N20,000. And they do it in front of the police station without any fear. Now, they have spread to Cultural Centre Road, and soon, if not stopped would go into other parts of the city", he said.Crime and Security went on the streets recently to verify the claims and spoke to one of the street phone sellers who called himself Chidi.Our reporter negotiated the price of a Blackberry Bold 2 and after much haggling, Chidi agreed to sell for N23,000 as against the original shop price of N42,000. When Crime and Security asked him of the source of his 'market', he became suspicious and feigned anger, insisiting that the reporter should pay up and not ask questions.As it is, residents along Mokola Road fear that if something is not done to ascertain the genuinety of the source of the gadgets which these youths sell, they might be harbouring robbers without knowing it.
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