Armed robbery, which is said to have been brought down to its lowest ebb in Mararaba, near Abuja, the FCT for quite some time now, has resurfaced as many residents in crime-prone areas of the town are currently having sleepless nights due to nefarious activities of robbers.
Investigations revealed that recent attacks might not be unconnected with the fast approaching festive period, which some of the residents and security agents said, was driving the robbers to go haywire in search of money to criminally grab and throw around during the forthcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Areas in Mararaba believed to be infested by criminals, such as Orange market, Aku village, Kabayi and Aso, among other hot spots are said to be the dens of robbers from where they strategise and move to attack their victims.
Some residents of Kabayi said robbery incidents intensified second week of November this year as they witnessed several attacks by robbers, who moved from house to house, pulling down windows and doors and dispossessing their victims of money and other valuables.
One of the victims, Mr Bulus Adu, said the robbers who were armed with gun, cutlass, knife and other dangerous weapons forced their way into his room around 2.30p.m. that fateful day and dispossessed him of his last money and handsets.
“I became helpless when I saw them with the dangerous weapons and had to quietly part with my last money and two handsets to save my life. The security agents should help us before these guys take over the whole places,” he appealed.
Another victim, a woman, who pleaded anonymity, told our reporter that she heard a noise in the store around 3.00 a.m. that same day and got up to check, but surprisingly, when she put on the light, she saw a strange man and raised alarm.
She said before her husband could come, the man had jumped out through the window, which burglar proof he had pulled down to gain entry, and fled with other members of the gang who had positioned themselves to attack her family.
“They tore the net of our window the previous night and attempted to bring down the burglar proof but couldn’t. I thought children played with the net, but the following night, they came again and one of them entered through the store window.
“I heard a noise, put on the light and saw a man. I raised alarm, but he jumped out quickly and they ran away,” she narrated.
The woman said the robbers, who did not succeed in carting away anything, left behind a blood stained cutlass, which was discovered in the morning when a mason came to fix the burglar proof.
Another victim, Mama Blessing, told our reporter that the hoodlums tore the net and attempted to gain entry through her window, but her dog frustrated their effort.
A police officer at the ‘A’ Division Police Station, Mararaba, who would not want to be named, told our reporter that the incident was not reported, but the police had worked very hard to bring down the rate of armed robbery in Mararaba and are still very ready to combat robbers if they attempt a comeback.
The source pointed out that some people did not know the difference between armed robbery and burglary and sometimes raised false alarm only for the police to come and find nothing like armed robbery.
He, however, said the current attacks, which the police was prepared to wage war against, might have been spurred by the quest for money by the criminals to meet their unrealistic demands of the yuletide.
