Lack of internet connectivity on Benin-Ore road aids increased armed robbery attacks

Night travelling for most passengers along the Benin-Ore Expressway has become a nightmare due to increased armed robbery attacks along that axis in recent times.

Recently, passengers that boarded two luxury buses owned by a popular transport operator and other commercial buses from various parts of the South East on their way to Lagos, met what they did not bargained for somewhere along the Benin Ore road.

A male passenger, who was a victim of armed robbery attack, told BusinessDay, “We did not know what was happening, but we noticed the bus came to a halt. The driver’s door opening and slamming shut and several shots in the air. That was when everyone got an idea we were in a robbery situation. There was panic everywhere; the worse was that the driver didn’t think it was proper to inform us of what was happening before running away, and no one had told us what to do when situations like this arise. This was around 2am in the morning.”

A particular spot along the Benin Ore, which stretches for about one kilometre, has become ideal for robbery mainly because there is a ‘black hole,’ when there is no telecoms connectivity. Internet or telephone access would have helped passengers to call security emergency lines or inform people online of what is happening and ask for immediate help.

“I think the robbers chose the strategic location because once you get to that point there is not one single telecoms mast. So, you cannot make a call or inform the public about what is happening to you. Thus, for almost two hours, the robbers had a field day, moving from one bus to another. They were mostly stealing phones from people,” said one of the passengers.

A female passenger, who also pleaded anonymity, recalled,  “passengers were scrambling to escape since the robbers were robbing from vehicle to vehicle. Before they got to our vehicle, a man inside the bus had to break the glass with his hands and the shards of glass were embedded in his hands.

“A seventy-year-old woman who just woke up from sleep, heard there were robbers she quickly jumped from the luxury bus and landed on her head, with a part of her skull sliced open. It was a messy situation. People injured themselves more from trying to escape than the robbers touching them.”

It is a normal routine on airplanes for passengers to be taken through the safety drills. However, commercial road transport companies in Nigeria that ply both local and international routes rarely drill their passengers on safety during travel. Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme created by law in the National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR) (2004) Section 115 made pursuant to Sections 5 and 10 (10) of the FRSC (Establishment) Act 2007 provides for the establishment of safety units by all transport operators so as to bring professionalism into the industry, promote and develop rapid safe, efficient and convenient fleet transportation system in the country.

However, some night passengers, who use another popular transport operator, say there is a police escort arrangement that ensures that the journey is made safe.

According to the night travellers, it was not the first time commercial buses were being attacked on the road in the space of a week. It was becoming a regular ordeal along at spot.

One of the drivers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, pointed out that their companies pay the Nigeria Police to protect them from armed robbers. “Yet, almost every day, armed robbers attack us on this road. If you move a little out of this place, you will see the policemen at their post. It’s not that they do not know that there is no internet connection here and that armed robbers like to chose this position, the police know but they will prefer to stay in places where they will not be disturbed,” he said.

Efforts by BusinessDay to get the transport companies to confirm if such payments are made and how much they pay the police to protect passengers were not successful. Eyewitnesses at the spot confirmed that the two buses that were robbed at the scene blocked off both sides of the road in protest.