- LASTMA Urges Passengers To Be Vigilant
- The arrest occurred near a Conoil filling station along Funsho Williams Avenue in Surulere
- Under interrogation, Ogunjobi confessed to leading a three-man syndicate, which included the owner of the bus.
In a decisive operation targeting criminal activities against commuters, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) successfully apprehended a notorious One-Chance syndicate.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the syndicate utilized a painted commercial bus to deceive and rob unsuspecting passengers of their valuables.
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The arrest occurred near a Conoil filling station along Funsho Williams Avenue in Surulere, Lagos. It followed a distressing incident involving a female commuter, Bibian Emelifonwu, who fell victim to the syndicate’s nefarious tactics earlier yesterday.
Emelifonwu recounted her traumatic experience, explaining how she boarded the bus and sat next to a male passenger carrying a nylon bag in the front seat.
Pretending to open the door beside her, the man leaned on her and skillfully stole her phone from her bag.
After the theft, the criminals callously pushed her out of the moving vehicle onto the highway.
Fortunately, a vigilant LASTMA team monitoring traffic in the area observed the incident and immediately gave chase. They successfully captured the driver, Toyib Ogunjobi, while his accomplices—the conductor and another passenger—managed to escape.
Under interrogation, Ogunjobi confessed to leading a three-man syndicate, which included the owner of the bus.
He disclosed that their modus operandi involved luring passengers with low fares along the Costain-Ojota route, stealing their belongings, and forcibly ejecting them from the moving vehicle.
Ogunjobi further admitted that the syndicate made between ₦250,000 and ₦300,000 daily by selling stolen phones and valuables.
He also revealed that numerous similar One-Chance syndicates are operating across Lagos State, shedding light on the alarming extent of this criminal enterprise.
During the arrest, seven stolen phones were recovered from Ogunjobi, including models such as Techno Pop, Samsung AZZ, Intel A623, Techno Spark, Techno Pounoir, and Samsung devices. He confessed that the vehicle’s owner was actively involved in the operation.
LASTMA General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, commended the officers for their swift action, which prevented further harm to commuters.
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He urged Lagos residents to exercise increased vigilance when boarding vehicles and to be cautious of not only commercial buses but also private vehicles that may harbor nefarious intentions.
Mr. Bakare -Oki also reiterated the availability of the recently launched LASTMA toll-free hotline, 0800-005-27862, enabling the public to report traffic-related issues, including emergencies, vehicle breakdowns, and obstructions.
