“The Rate Of One-Chance Criminals Is Alarming” – Abuja Residents Cry Out

Residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried the increasing rate of ‘one chance’ criminal activities in the city centres.

Some of the victims, who spoke to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, said that those who enter commercial vehicles along the Kubwa express, Life Camp junction and Berger are more prone to such activities.

One chance is a type of robbery in which the victim is robbed while on board a moving commercial vehicle; mostly unpainted taxis.

Precious Neji, one of the victims, told NAN that she was robbed on Feb.16 the day election was cancelled around Katampe Hillside in Dawaki.

She said that she boarded a taxi on her way to church with three men and a lady at Katampe and the driver started asking them for their Permanent Voter Cards and suddenly went into a bush path.

“They started punching my eyes and face, they also collected my bag, phone, ATM card, I gave them the real password of my phone and the pin of my ATM.

“They took the N11,000 in my bag after which they dropped me in a bush,” she said.

Similarly, another female victim, Aminat Ahmed, said she and her friend were robbed in a taxi along Dutse market on March 18 at about 3:30 p.m. at News Engineering bus stop in Dawaki.

“After few minutes in the vehicle, the driver wind up the glasses which happen to be tinted and the guy in front ordered us to bend down.

“He requested for our bags and took all our valuable which include three phones, cash close to N15,000 and my friend’s ATM.

“They instantly tried to transfer the money using a POS machine in the vehicle but it was not successful so they later withdrew the money at Jaiz Bank ATM close to Wuse market.

“After turning around the express like four times, they dropped us behind News Engineering with our bags and zoomed off,” she explained.

Speaking on the matter, ASP Danjuma Taminu, Deputy Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), assured FCT residents that the police is doing everything possible to curb one chance within the territory.

He said that some officers had been positioned at strategic places such as the parks, under the bridges, lonely roads, highways and other suspicious places in order to curb the trend.

Tanimu disclosed that an Anti One Chance Squad was established in 2018 when one chance criminal activities was rampant in the FCT.

“It was established in 2018 by Commissioner of Police (CP) Bala Ciroma, the office was at Asokoro Police Station under Asokoro Police Division.

“Currently, with less cases of one chance within the FCT, the CP saw the need to narrow it down to CID division of the police.

“Most officers of the squad have been sent to other States to help reduce one chance as they have done in FCT,” he said.

Tanimu, however, called on transport organizations and those working in parks to partner with the police in curbing the few cases of one chance criminal activities.

“Our Rapid Rescue Squad are out there together with the Anti-one chance squad, carrying out stop and search and respond to reports of suspected people around.

“In order to avoid being victims of one chance, one has the right to check the boot and if there is anything suspicious inside the car, one is supposed to alert the police and not to enter.

“The police is currently working on knowing their hideout so we can apprehend them.”

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