‘One-chance' is commonly used in Nigeria to refer to fraud or scam in Nigeria, especially when a group of criminals picks up passengers waiting for a taxi or bus, with the aim of robbing or defrauding them.
Residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are now living in fear following the recent activities of ‘one-chance’ criminals in the city.
‘One-chance' is commonly used in Nigeria to refer to fraud or scam in Nigeria, especially when a group of criminals picks up passengers waiting for a taxi or bus, with the aim of robbing or defrauding them.
Greatness Olorunfemi, one of the recent victims of a ‘one chance’ was reportedly planning to relocate to the United States to further her education by earning a PhD in Microbiology before she was killed.
One Mr West Robinson also recently raised the alarm about the influx of criminals using cars to rob unsuspecting victims under the guise of taxis.
There has been widespread insecurity around the city centre and on the outskirts, characterised by frequent and indiscriminate robbery and abduction of motorists and commuters.
The trend appears to have become worse following the proliferation of private and unregistered vehicles being used as taxis due to the increase in the pump prices of the Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol through fuel subsidy removal.
Robinson raised the alarm in a viral video in which he identified Area 1, Area 3 and Apo axis as some of the areas where the criminals had been operating.
He said they would put Nigerian number plates on the front and foreign number plates at the rear of their vehicles.
He urged security agencies including the Nigerian police, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Department of State Services (DSS), Directorate of Road Traffic Services and others to stop the activities of the criminals.
But the FCT Commissioner of Police, Garba Haruna through a press statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said that the claim would create panic and apprehension among the residents.
The statement said that the police had started clamping down on such vehicles.
The statement read in part, "The Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, CP Haruna G. Garba psc, wishes to enjoin residents circulating the 'video and voice' recording of one Mr West Robinson making the rounds to discontinue such, as it is creating panic and apprehension in the populace.
“It may also interest the residents that there's an ongoing clampdown on the described vehicles (vehicles with foreign number plate) in the narrative. Hence, the command is committed to improving the overall security towards the protection of lives and properties of residents without fear or favor.”
But findings by SaharaReporters have revealed that such vehicles are still operating freely in places such as Berger; Area 10; Area 1-Lugbe; Apo Mechanic Village axis; Kubwa Express Way and along; Jabi axis; City Gate; Areas 1 under bridge and across; Area 2 Plaza Behind VIO Office area, and Zone 2.
The death of Greatness Olorunfemi on September 26, 2023 was condemned by many residents of the city. She was stabbed by yet-to-be-identified ‘one-chance’ criminals.
After stabbing her, she was pushed out of a moving vehicle along Kubwa Express Way.
Greatness later died following the alleged refusal by the Maitama General Hospital to treat her unless a police report was provided.
However, the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has ordered a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the lady.
SaharaReporters tracked down some of the victims of ‘one-chance’ robberies, one of whom said she was robbed of N500,000.
The woman who spoke on condition of anonymity said she boarded a taxi (Volkswagen Golf) from Gwarinpa Bridge to Maitama and met four passengers already seated including a lady.
She said one of them who occupied the front seat was in a police uniform and deliberately ensured she was stuck by pushing his seat backwards. And as she was about to complain, the one beside her brought out a gun.
She said, "The one in police uniform pushed his seat back and hooked my legs but the moment I wanted to complain over the discomfort, the one sitting beside me brought out a gun and placed it on my neck. It was very cold.
"They slapped my face and told me to cooperate with them or they will kill me. They collected my handbag and took my ATM card. The brought out a POS machine and withdrew over N500,000 that I had saved to buy goods from Onitsha that week.
"They drove me around the town in Maitama and asked me not to open my eyes and then I was pushed out of the car at a traffic junction.
"A woman saw me where I was crying and she offered to give me a ride. She gave me N1,000 to get a vehicle back to my house."
Another victim who is with Radio Nigeria, Remi Jonshon, was attacked by the ‘one-chance’ criminals during the week and was beaten up.
SaharaReporters gathered that Remi was picked up after the close of work by the criminals at a junction, inflicted injuries on her and stole her belongings including her ATM card
Another resident, Ada Anthony, was also robbed at gunpoint when she boarded a vehicle from Area 1 which she thought was going to Lugbe.
“They asked me to give them my ATM card and phone, they asked for my PIN and withdrew all my money using their POS,” she said.
Findings revealed that kidnappers operated in many communities such as Kwaku village, Chida and Chitumu within the last month with the victims paying huge amounts of money as ransom.
A kidnap victim, Mrs. Opeyemi Adewale who spoke to SaharaReporters recounted her horrible encounter with the criminal elements shortly after she boarded a bus from Lugbe to the city centre.
She said 10 out of the 13 passengers on the bus she boarded were kidnappers which included about five women.
She said, "They all dressed decently with the women in their midst wearing hijab just to disguise. They held my neck and started beating me. They asked about my occupation, and I told them that I was a teacher and that I had just resigned from where I was working.
“They collected my ATM card and emptied my bank account using their POS machine.
“At this point, they asked me to call my relatives and ask them to send money to them. I called my daddy and they demanded for ransom. At the end, they negotiated downward and my husband sent the money to them.”
Opeyemi explained that they (victims on the bus) were blindfolded throughout the operation as they were being driven around the city centre while they also threatened to take them to one Alhaji in Kaduna who would use them for money ritual.
She said they finally dropped them off at NIPCO filling station in Lugbe.
Meanwhile, some residents have blamed the worsening insecurity in the capital city on the rising rate of unemployment and the influx of people to the nation’s capital.
Some have blamed the problem on the recent clampdown on the activities of commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as Okada riders. Over 1,000 impounded motorcycles were recently destroyed by the administration.
The exercise led to violent clashes between the motorcyclists and security operatives.
A resident who identified himself as Aderoju Isaac blamed the worsening security situation in the FCT on the activities of scavengers popularly called (Maibola) who roam residential areas.
"It is appalling that security agents have not been able to curtail the activities of these scavengers who brazenly enter people's compounds at will and steal any items they find.
"The scavengers will come when people have gone to work and ransack your house and if you dare challenge them, they will stab you to death. These people have become a nuisance in the nation’s capital and there is a need for the police to check their excesses," he said.
Another resident, George Jude berated the destruction of impounded motorcycles by the new FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, noting that it would only aggravate the insecurity situation in the city.
"For me, I don't think the destruction of those motorcycles is the best approach. You don't need to destroy them, rather you auction them and some of them will buy them back and take them to their villages. If you ask them to pay almost half of the price of the motorcycles, they will pay.
"As you can see, even after they have destroyed their bikes, they are still roaming around, constituting a nuisance in Abuja. Some of them may take to crime because they don't have any means of livelihood again."
Wike had vowed to rid the city of crime. In August, the minister reaffirmed the ban on street trading in Abuja, saying hawkers also aid criminalities in the nation’s capital city.