Totowu community under robbers’ siege

Totowu village is a fast developing community of farmers, petty traders and canoe transport operators in Ado-Odo Local Government Area of Ogun state.

Its boarder is separated from the Igando and Ayobo areas  of Lagos by a river which serves as transportation route by residents at both ends – until three weeks back when robbers struck, shooting a policeman dead in a speed boat.

The Daily Times gathered that the robbers who came in their numbers invaded the community through the waterway, catered away money as well as other valuables. The robbers were said to have promised a comeback and this has made residents to live in fear; many others have fled their homes for safety.

A visit to the community further revealed how critical the situation has become. First, the canoe which would have been a faster means of transportation to the village for a token of N100 from Igando, was no longer operating as operators were said to have gone on a compulsory vacation due to the fear of another possible attack.

Travelling by land costs five times the amount spent on canoe transport and takes longer time.  The part of the road that was not motorable and could only be accessed by motorbikes posed another challenge as most cyclists were not willing to the road for fear of being attacked by robbers who, they allege, are from the Niger Delta.

Cyclists even had to advise our correspondent not to spend much time there, warning that the community is not safe.

On arrival, The Daily Times found the community deserted with many of the houses under lock and key; only a few people, mostly men were seen around with business activities near zero.

The Daily Times visited the traditional head of the community, Baale Moshood Moronfolu Bangbose to tell how the community became a dreaded zone who narrated their ordeal:

“This problem became known last month, when a mobile police officer by the name Yusuf Idris, who had bought a piece of land in Ipatari, a neighbouring community and was developing it had come to inspect work at his site. He was on his way back and I saw him leaving to join a canoe at Captain David River which is the river that links us to Igando and Ayobo in Lagos. Two other ladies also were walking from behind him.

“According to what I was told, shortly after they had boarded the canoe, and were half way into the journey, some guys with guns and other weapons from nowhere came with a speed boat and attacked them. They took away all their belongings and on discovering that Yusuf was a police officer, they shot him and he was confirmed dead after he was taken to the hospital.

“They were also said to have attacked and robbed a canoe that was coming from the Igando end of the river. The victims were simple traders who were just returning from Lagos where they had gone to buy their goods. Their goods were taken away.

“Since that incident, all canoe operators ceased working because they don’t know what they will meet on the waterfront again. We, the residents of this community, especially our women have even been living in fear as we keep hearing rumour of them coming to attack us soon.

“Regrettably, government has neglected this community. As big as this community is, we do not have even a police post. The police division that covers this area is the Igbese police division which is about 45 minutes drive from here. I have spoken to the divisional police officer there to at least help us with a police post but he keeps telling me that they do not have the needed manpower to man such post.

“We do not even have a health care centre. In the case of any health challenge, we have to travel the distance to access a government health facility. We only have a primary school and no secondary school, our children still trek long distance to get to their secondary school.

“Our fear is that it was Yusuf last time: we do not know who they will come for next. We are therefore calling on the Ogun state government as well as the federal government to come to our aid. We may be saying  it’s all rumours that this robbers who I hear are from Niger Delta and with sophisticated weapons will return, but I still strongly believe that police  presence must be felt always in case of any attack,” he emphasised.

The Daily Times also visited the only government owned primary school established in 1955. Two of the teachers who spoke in confidence narrated how the recent happenings have affected the school.

“The fact that canoe transport has stopped operating has affected us badly,” the first teacher said. “I live at Ikotun and I often spend about N600 to and from work; but since I have to go by road now, I spend close to one N1,200 daily. It is quite depressing because the expense is too much.”

The second teacher said most of their students who come from across the river side do not attend school again because their parents cannot afford their transport by road.

“Even those who live in Totowu have fled for fear of the robbers and so do not attend school anymore. I am being affected too. I live at Egbeda and used to spend only five hundred and fifty naira to and from work. Now, I spend more by road because the canoe operators have abandoned their work for fear.”

Baale Moshood however said they have organised a community vigilante group and also consulted the OPC men who, he said, are fully on ground.

“The solution to this problem is simple: if Lagos and Ogun states Governments can construct a bridge that will run across the river linking both ends and also give us a motorable link road, then this so called robbers will find it difficult to access this environment; even when there is an emergency, the police from either Lagos or Ogun states can intervene speedily,” he said.