Crime & Court
Apapa traffic : Truck drivers recount ordeals in the hands of robbers
As the chaotic traffic continues to linger along the port access roads, truck drivers have decried the constant attacks on them and the vandalisation of their vehicles and goods by hoodlums.
Speaking with Vanguard Maritime Report, some of the truck drivers said hardly can one find a truck driver that had not experienced an attack on the highway both during the day and at night, as these hoodlums threaten them daily with guns, weapons and other ammunition. The drivers said the hoodlums do away with every valuable thing they have and at times they also loot the containers and carry the goods. A choked-up section of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, taken over by trucks.
One of the truck drivers who spoke with Vanguard Maritime Report on the issue, Adekanmi Oyeshina, said, “I have been attacked several times; I was even attacked three days ago on this same spot.
“The container was empty then so they took my phones and money. During attack, the robbers do pack goods in the container as well especially when we are travelling to places like Kano. “At least I have up to four or five friends who got robbed of goods in their containers and when the armed robbers loot the containers, they found out that it was filled with clothes.” He also said that they do not usually see whatever is loaded in the container until they get to their destination and it is offloaded in their presence. Similarly, Adebayo Olufemi who revealed he just got licensed as truck driver, gave an experience of his colleague.
“I have never been attacked before but according to what I have heard, attacks usually occur whenever we travel via wharf road to Apapa whether the driver is sleeping or not, in the day and night; the robbers are always attacking truck drivers there. “They will remove the tyres of the truck take their phones and money even from Ojota to Apapa that is where we have the worst attacks. We do not see whatever we carry unless we get to our destination and the container is offloaded in our presence, that is when we see what we have been carrying. “Even the Customs do not check the goods if our particulars are intact.
If our particulars are not intact we would not be allowed to move out of Apapa. Even if the driver manages to leave Apapa, he will still encounter some Custom officers before he gets to his destination. We usually load at wharf, second gate, terminal and others,” he said. In the same vein, Ogundare Richard revealed he had also been attacked.
He noted that the armed robbers do threaten them with sharp items or weapons and would order them to surrender their belongings or else they will use their weapons on them. Similarly, a truck driver who simple identified himself as Jacob, said that they have been victims of several attacks on the containers. He stated: “I was attacked one night here at Alakija and I did not even know when it happened until I got to the place where I was to offload the goods and found out that the container key has being cut off with a cutter and several cartoons of powdered milk was carted away.
“I was arrested and put in jail for about three weeks to one month until investigations were made and it was discovered that I was robbed before they released me. “Am not the only person that have been attacked. Several people have also been attacked on this road.” Also another truck driver, Musa said “I was attacked and they took everything I had with me, they took my money, my wristwatch, my chains, even my clothes and two of my extra tyres, they left me with nothing because that very day my container was empty, so they took away all my personal belongings.”
Two Nigerian nationals, Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37, are facing a combined 40-year prison sentence for their roles in a romance scam that defrauded a victim of $560,000.
The pair were convicted in a U.S. federal court following a four-day trial and less than three hours of jury deliberation.
A statement by U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez and FBI Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda revealed that the scheme, which began in January 2016, involved a fictitious persona, “Glenn Brown,” created on the dating site eHarmony.com.
The duo, along with an accomplice, used this fake profile to manipulate a victim in Albuquerque, New Mexico, into sending large sums of money under the pretense of aiding a construction project in Malaysia.
Between January 2016 and April 2017, the victim transferred $560,000 to accounts in the U.S., Canada, and Malaysia. Evidence presented in court highlighted specific transactions, including a $28,000 wire transfer to an account linked to Daramola.
Daramola then funneled the money to other parties, including a seafood importer in Denmark.
Daramola denied involvement, but FBI investigations revealed incriminating text and WhatsApp messages on his phone, showing he provided bank accounts for multiple fraud schemes.
Ogunlaja, on the other hand, used his Bank of America account to receive fraudulent funds, including $40,000 deposited by the victim in March 2016. Ogunlaja subsequently withdrew and transferred funds to Daramola’s account.
Despite their denials, the weight of evidence led to the duo’s conviction. Both defendants remain on conditional release awaiting sentencing, where each faces up to 20 years in prison without parole. Sentencing dates have not yet been scheduled.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dismissed 27 officers from its workforce over allegations of fraudulent activities and misconduct.
In a statement issued on Monday, the EFCC’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, disclosed that the dismissal followed the recommendations of the Staff Disciplinary Committee and subsequent ratification by the Commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede.
Oyewale stated that the identities of the dismissed officers would not be disclosed, but the Commission remains committed to maintaining accountability and integrity within its ranks.
“Every modicum of allegation against any staff of the Commission would always be investigated, including a trending $400,000 claim of a yet-to-be-identified supposed staff of the EFCC against a Sectional Head,” the statement read.
“The core values of the Commission are sacrosanct and would always be held in optimal regard at all times.”
The Commission also warned the public about the activities of impersonators and blackmailers exploiting its name for extortion.
According to the statement, two alleged fraudsters, Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim, were recently arraigned before Justice Jude Onwuebuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja.
They allegedly demanded $1 million from a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko, under the pretense of offering a “soft landing” from a non-existent investigation.
“Olukoyede remains a man of integrity that cannot be swayed by monetary influences. The public is enjoined to always report such disreputable elements to the Commission,” the EFCC emphasized.
The agency reassured Nigerians of its commitment to the fight against corruption, promising to uphold transparency and discipline within its operations.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 61-year-old Lagos socialite, Alhaja Aishat Feyisara Ajoke Elediye, popularly known as “Iya Ruka” in the drug underworld, following the interception of a truckload of illicit drugs allegedly linked to her.
The arrest took place on January 1, 2025, at her mansion located at 33 Adebayo Oyewole Street, off Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos.
According to a statement signed by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Alhaja Ajoke’s true identity had been shrouded in mystery for years, despite her alleged role as a key figure in a drug cartel operating from Mushin, Lagos.
The operation began when NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, intercepted a white Isuzu truck carrying 44 jumbo sacks containing 1,540 kilograms of imported cannabis. The truck was reportedly driven by one of her staff members, 41-year-old Abideen Adio.
Following the interception, the operatives stormed her residence and arrested her.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers for the success of the operation.
He praised their efforts in reducing both drug supply and demand across the country, emphasizing that such operational successes were crucial to the agency’s mission.
“The balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction by our operatives continues to yield commendable results,” Marwa stated.
Alhaja Ajoke, who is well-known in social circles, has been on the NDLEA’s wanted list for years for her alleged leadership role in the drug trade. Her arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the agency’s fight against drug trafficking in Lagos and beyond.
Investigations are ongoing, and the NDLEA has vowed to ensure that justice is served.
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