Special Report: Rising cases of street robberies, missing persons in Lagos amidst government’s perceived silence

Unlike the usual bustling night life at popular Lagos junctures and government approved bus stops, the streets are fast retreating into silence for fear of being robbed. The deadly robbery gangs, knowing they stand slim chances of successful operations at busy and populated places are now targeting the streets to unleash mayhem mostly from sunset when residents are either returning from work or having casual conversations around their homes. 

“I live at Celestial road in Igando. For close to three years now, some group of guys operating on motorcycles have been terrorising the area. Sometimes, they come in as much as four to five motorcycles with two each on one motorcycle, excluding the rider. They operate with loaded guns and other dangerous weapons making it difficult to confront them. They usually arrive unannounced at about 7pm when you won’t be able to see their faces clearly. They forcefully take peoples’ phones, wallets, laptops and any other valuable they might find on you. That is why once it is 6:30pm, you will notice the streets and majorly roads being quietly deserted,” a resident who identified himself as Kazeem told NewsClick Nigeria.

Another resident at Egbe-Idimu narrated suffering similar fate earlier this month. According to her, the robbers had been operating from like two streets away before getting to theirs without them knowing. She said it was when they left that people started shouting for help that they discovered they operated for over an hour moving from street to street.

“I recently encountered them. We were seated outside that evening chatting with a petty seller outside of our house when we suddenly heard gun shots fired at close range. They had already surrounded us demanding for our phones and password. The others were few distances away also forcefully collecting phones and other belongings from residents. The solar street light was on so we could see them. They were about six on two different bikes. As soon as they left, victims from other streets started shouting. It was then we realised it was a mass street robbery. Though no one was hurt but it was a really terrible experience,” she said still feeling timid recalling the incident.

A staff of NewsClick Nigeria also recently fell a victim of the armed robbery gang while sleeping in the dead of the night. The gang gained illegal entrance into his compound and tore the window net, making away with his phone and other gadgets.

“I was fast asleep on that very day when they scaled the fence, cut my window net and made away with my phone and power bank. I was lucky that my laptop was out of reach for them. It was when I woke up that I saw what had happened,” he explained.

The experience isn’t any difference in the upscale Ikeja, Lekki and Ikoyi axis of the state. While secured and gated estates/communities said such incidents were rare, however, they noted that they are not shielded once they stepped out.

“I can say for a fact that I’ve not experienced such here. Though we’re just about six months old in the estate. But I heard from residents who had been here long before we came that some terror gangs had once made their way into the estate. That incident made the estate leadership to rejig the security architecture and I think such has not reoccurred. However, once you stepped or drove out of the vicinity, you’re stripped of that immunity. I’ve had my share of funny experiences from those armed gang at a street not far from here. I was only lucky to have escaped when it appeared some other gangs came protesting the audacity of the other gang to come rob in the area,” a Lekki resident who identified himself as Wale said.

Wave of missing persons 

In the bustling border town of Badagry, where traders shout across crowded streets and sewing machines hum from dawn till dusk, the small tailoring shop once run by 27-year-old Samson now sits unusually silent. Dust gathers slowly on the wooden bench outside. Half-finished clothes remain folded in a corner. Neighbours still glance toward the locked shop every morning, hoping to see the familiar young tailor return.

But since March, Samson has vanished without a trace.

For years, Samson was a familiar face around the community. Slim, cheerful and always dressed neatly in fitted native wear he designed himself, he had built a modest reputation as one of the hardworking young tailors in the area. Residents say his shop, tucked beside a busy roadside kiosk, rarely stayed empty. Customers came for school uniforms, wedding attire and last-minute clothing adjustments.

“He was always busy,” said one trader who owns a nearby provisions store. “Even at night, you would hear his machine working.”

Friends describe Samson as ambitious. Though still in his twenties, he dreamed of expanding his tailoring business into a fashion brand. He often spoke about moving from simple clothing repairs to creating designer outfits that could compete beyond Badagry.

Yet beneath the determination was a young man carrying silent burdens.

According to neighbours, business had become increasingly difficult in recent months. Rising costs of fabrics, unstable electricity and declining customer patronage were taking a toll on many artisans in the area. Some say Samson occasionally complained about debts and pressure from customers who delayed payments.

Still, no one imagined he would disappear.

On a humid morning in March, Samson reportedly opened his shop as usual. Witnesses recall seeing him sweeping the front of the store and exchanging greetings with nearby traders. Later that afternoon, he locked the shop and left, telling someone he would return shortly.

He never did.

At first, neighbours assumed he had travelled briefly. But after days passed without any sign of him, concern began to spread. His phone line reportedly became unreachable. Family members and friends searched nearby communities and contacted acquaintances, but nobody seemed to know where he had gone.

Weeks later, his shop remains abandoned.

Inside, unfinished garments still hang from rusty hooks. A measuring tape lies carelessly on a table beside scraps of Ankara fabric. To many residents, the untouched items feel like frozen evidence of a life interrupted suddenly.

Some speculate Samson may have travelled in search of better opportunities. Others fear something more troubling may have happened to the young tailor. In a town where economic hardship continues to push many youths toward uncertain journeys, disappearances like his often become swallowed by silence.

For his family, however, the uncertainty is the hardest part.

“We just want to know he is alive,” a relative reportedly told neighbours during one of the search efforts.

Across Nigeria, stories like Samson’s are becoming painfully common among struggling young artisans and entrepreneurs. Behind many shuttered shops are untold stories of financial pressure, migration, emotional distress or shattered dreams. In communities like Badagry, where survival often depends on daily earnings, the sudden disappearance of a breadwinner leaves not only emotional wounds but economic ones too.

Now, months after Samson walked away from his tailoring shop, his absence still lingers heavily in the neighbourhood.

Customers occasionally stop by asking for clothes they never collected. Friends pause briefly outside the locked store before moving on. Nearby traders continue their daily hustle, but many admit the street no longer feels the same without the soft rattle of Samson’s sewing machine echoing through the afternoon heat.

And as the days stretch into months, one question remains unanswered in Badagry: what truly happened to Samson, the young tailor who left his shop in March and never returned?

Government and police ignore our calls for help – CDAs 

The leadership of some Community Development Associations (CDAs) who spoke to NewsClick Nigeria on condition of anonymity said they were tired of reporting the security issues to the Lagos State Government and police authorities. According to them, the street robberies happen most times in places close to police formations and yet the robbers will operate unhindered.

“My brother we are tired of filing such complaints. How do you file a complain of something that they witnessed? Here in Alimosho, most of the street robberies cases that we have had happened close to either police checkpoints or formations. Even if a robbery is ongoing and you call them, they won’t respond till they are sure the robbers have left. And if they finally show up, they’ll twist the story and start arresting innocent people hoping their family will come and bail them so they can make money.

For the government, there was a time an serving assembly member and councillor were residing in these trouble areas. Rather than use their position to intervene, they simply relocated to a safer place. Even if they eventually relocated, couldn’t they have presented the case before the authorities and follow up for action?,” the CDA executive asked.