“Illegal activities occur during the nighttime.” Gone are those days when evil perpetrators carried out their activities at night. Nowadays, these people are free to do their thing even during the day. The sad and the most amusing part of it is that the rate at which these people operate keeps increasdaily.
Unlike places like Lagos (known for its high crime rate), I grew up in a city where walking at night was a little dangerous. My parents made it a taboo to come home late at night. To prevent us from going out unnecessarily and coming in very late at night, they fed us with mythological stories. They spiced these stories up that we were so afraid to even go out to play. I remember how my mom used to tell my brother and I several stories about kids who got kidnapped. The truth is, their stories trained and tamed us from going out unnecessarily. During my childhood years, it was rare to hear cases of armed robbery. Although they operated sometimes, it was still very rare.
Things were fine until these evil perpetrators started rearing their ugly heads. It started with them stealing bikes- new bikes. The people reported to the authorities - police and other armed forces, but when they failed to do their duties, the people took power into their hands. They didn't care about breaking the law of “not taking justice.” The people got really angry that they started killing the bike thieves themselves. At that time, bike robbery was so rampant that I’d always hear of at least 4 deaths in a week. I regret the day I witnessed a terrible incident; an angry mob dealt with a bike thief till he died.
Should we blame the government for not providing employment opportunities? Yes! But that doesn't mean people should steal. They were a group of 3 people. They had planned on how to steal the bike. Unfortunately, two of his friends/partners got away, but they caught him. He tried to run for his life, but the mob was faster than him. After beating him and breaking his bones, they poured petrol on him and set his body on fire. He died a terrible death.
The early part of 2021 was one of the most dangerous periods I've ever experienced. Thieves started robbing throughout the city. The slightly funny part about it was that they weren't scared at all. They'd send letters to anywhere they wanted to operate. In the letter, they'd tell the people to prepare themselves. It got to a point that no one was able to sleep for days. We all became watchmen. Those that had guns brought out their guns. Those that had cutlasses brought them out. No one was allowed to sleep. We'd bring out our music players and start singing and dancing. We burnt tires and danced around them.
I remember the day r2 of the thieves came to our area. It was around 2 am. My family and I were outside playing songs. Immediately, gunshots were fired. My dad was the first person that took to his heels. That man didn't even remember his kids. Not everyone ran inside, people that had guns stood their ground and chased the robbers away.
The crime rate in my school is on another level. Although robbers have never attacked my hostel, I've heard so many stories. There was a day they attacked a very big hostel around my area. The guys in that hostel have big and expensive cars. I was not really surprised when I heard that armed robbers attacked them. There was a time cultists were free to carry out their businesses. Before I got into the university, one of the things I feared (and still scared of) are cultists. Those guys are really dangerous. During my 100-level days, they ruled everywhere. They were everywhere! All four corners! Just budget to spend at least #500 a day if you want to please them. They would always wait for us at the junction and strategic places. If you don't please them, prepare to face trouble.
It was not until the students rioted that the school authorities decided to tighten up the security system. Now, students are free to move freely. However, we still hear news of robberies around school areas.