The most notorious Lagos hotspots where smartphone thieves are concentrated
On a daily basis, countless Lagos residents lament how their smartphones get stolen by sticky-fingered thieves who prey on the hapless across the metropolis.
Newsroom correspondents went around Lagos to discover from victims of this type of robbery who identified the most notorious places where phone snatching occurs.
Mile 2 — Orile Road:
John, a banker, had his phone snatched on his way to work at Mile 2. According to him, he was sitting on the front seat, listening to music but the driver’s music was louder than his. ‘My phone rang and as soon as I brought it out to pick the call, a hand reached out and snatched my phone. I came down to give him a chase but the person sped off into the crowd and I couldn’t catch up with him.
Ajah Roundabout:
According to Anthony who was walking home from work at Ajah, ‘It was bit rowdy so when the guy bumped into me, it wasn’t particularly unusual.
“But then some instinct spurred me to check for my phone and I didn’t find it. So I walked to the man who had just bumped into me and asked for my phone back. He handed it to me almost immediately”
Stadium Bus-Stop:
One minute, Tobe was holding his phone. The next minute, he was watching a motorcycle zoom by.
“I had just gotten off a bike from home. It was a Saturday morning so the roads were pretty clear. I was standing at Stadium Bus-Stop waiting to catch a bus.”
“If a bus had passed, I’d most likely have missed it. My head was buried in my phone as it almost always is. The guys must have noticed this.”
“The last thing I remember is I was trying to open a WhatsApp message. I clicked on it, and my phone was in someone else’s hands, in the backseat of a motorcycle speeding down Ikorodu Road.”
Carter Bridge:
Nike learned not to leave her car window open
“I can’t really remember what happened to be honest. I was driving down Carter Bridge. The sun was hot and there was traffic so I turned the windows down.”
“My daughter was in the back seat and I was on the phone with my husband on and off. Somehow I dropped my phone on the passenger seat in front absentmindedly. After a few minutes, some guy walked up to my side mirror and tried to talk to me about a flat tire.”
“As I tried to pay attention to him, I saw someone grab at the other seat. I looked, saw and found the seat empty. Both the guys were gone.”
Mile 12:
Solomon went there to buy groceries and left his phone behind
“I don’t like to talk about it. I went to the market with my mother on a random Friday. She was haggling with a tomato seller. That’s when I think it happened.”
“There were a lot of people brushing past us so I don’t know who did it in particular. I just felt some pressure on my pocket. Put my hand in my pocket and my iPhone was gone”
