Na’Allah Muhammad Zagga
The gentleman in this picture Muhammad Suleiman was stabbed to death in Kano by a gang of phone snatching thugs, according to News 24 Hausa.
This new pattern of crime is spreading beyond Kano to other parts the north, including Abuja. I was told of an incident at Wuse 2 where a man was attacked by two thugs on a motorcycle when he was making a call by the roadside. They demanded him to hand over his money and phone; when he hesitated, they menacingly pulled out knives to prove they meant business. He had to surrender his money and the luxury phone to save his life.
A young man from katsina State was also a victim of these thugs. He hired a taxi to Maitama District of Abuja from Garki Area 1. As they were moving, the taxi driver suddenly pulled up the vehicle at an isolated area and started to behave strangely. The passenger asked him why did he stop, but he ignored him. As they were arguing, three knife-wielding men emerged from the middle of nowhere to attack him. They asked him to hand over his phone, money and other valuables. In the course of the struggle, they struck his right shoulder with a knife. They took his phone and other valuables. They threw him out of the vehicle, leaving him bleeding profusely. His attackers escaped with the taxi driver which shows he was part of the gang. As he was staggering to seek for help, a Good Samaritan arrived at the scene and drove him to the hospital where he was operated on.
Always be alert. Avoid dark areas of the streets; be wary of isolated areas. Stop making calls at isolated areas of the road.These knife-wielding muggers usually attack their victims in isolated areas or dark street areas. When you notice a stranger walking menacingly towards you, move fast to a crowded place for safety. When you notice your taxi driver changing your course or heading to an isolated place, challenge him and raise alarm. Besides, always try to memorise the registration number of a taxi before you hop in.
A taxi driver was taking me to kado Estate at mid night from Nicon Hotel. I was carrying a beautiful leather bag. He started telling me he liked my bag and asked me how much they it cost me. He was moving from one story to another to distract me from his scheme. Then I noticed that he was leaving our route and started driving me towards some uncompleted buildings. I challenge him immediately and he told me he was looking for a filling station to buy fuel.
He reminded him me that there is a filling station in front of Nicon Hilton Hotel and why he didn’t buy fuel there. He responded with ifs and buts. Then luckily, I noticed a Maishayi place and told him I wanted to buy bread before we proceed to our destination. When we got there, I pretended like a wanted to buy bread. I told the customers at the Maishayi table that I didn’t trust this taxi driver and asked them if there was any filling station in their location, and they said he was lying because there was none there. So, I sought their help to interrogate the taxi driver on why he diverted me to that area. As he saw me coming towards his car with other people, he sensed that I reported his strange behaviour and zoomed off immediately and disappeared. I had to look for another taxi driver to finally take me to Kado Estate. Always be alert; don’t allow a stranger to distract you with unsolicited stories; raise alarm immediately when you notice any stranger behaviour by a taxi driver.
Zagga is a public affairs commentator.
