Anita Amarachi Uchola, a 200-level student in the Department of Philosophy at Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, was robbed over the weekend by a gang of armed robbers commonly known as “one chance” while she was in a commercial bus.
The Nation reports that the gang robbed and assaulted her before throwing her off the moving vehicle.
The incident occurred on Friday along Iyana Oba-LASU Road.
Anita, presently recuperating at an hospital in the area following the injuries she sustained during the attack, lost many valuables including the sum of N952,000 after her accounts were hacked by the “one chance” armed robbers.
Anita, who juggles schoolwork and entrepreneurship, left school at about noon on Friday to make deliveries to her customers.
In her account, Anita said the day began with a visit to her faculty office at school where she had gone to sort out some registration issues, but due to the absence of staff, she decided to leave and complete her delivery duties.
“I had a few deliveries to drop off at my shipping company,” she explained.
She said she left school around 12:16 pm on Friday, but at Iyana Oba, she encountered a spike in transportation fares, forcing her to opt for a bus instead of a bike.
She said, however, that her ride turned into a nightmare after boarding the bus.
“I shouted repeatedly when we got to my bus stop, but the driver and other occupants of the bus were mute. I began to panic. I was immediately slapped by one of the gang’s members who I had taken for a fellow passenger,” she said.
Realising that she was in serious danger, Anita tried to cry for help but was struck in the head with the butt of a gun.
She said: “An elderly woman sitting beside me, who I thought was a passenger, proceeded to strip me of all my belongings while the bus was still moving.
“The man I initially assumed to be the bus conductor also turned out to be one of the armed criminals. He held the gun to my head and threatened to kill me if I didn’t cooperate.”
She said they forced her to hand over her phone, password and other private details.
“My ordeal reached a terrifying climax when the robbers threw me off the moving bus.
“Luckily for me, the road was not busy, so I didn’t get hit by any bus.”
She said she was helped by an okada (commercial motorcycle) rider who gave her N500 for transport.”
Anita said she block her phone line but was told she required a National Identification Number (NIN), which she didn’t have on her at the time.
However, with the assistance of passersby, she eventually made her way to FESTAC, where she blocked her lines and accounts. But by the time her phone number was restored, all the money in her account had been removed by the armed robbers.
“They moved all my socials and iCloud and even emptied my savings account (PiggyVest) the sum of six hundred and forty thousand naira and also the sum of Three hundred and twelve thousand naira from my Access Bank account,” she explained.
Following the incident, Anita was admitted to a hospital where doctors checked her mental and physical condition, though she is presently experiencing impaired vision as a result of the beating she received from the gang while in the bus.
She said the matter was reported at FESTAC Town Police Station, adding that although the police reacted to her complaints, they were yet to trace the recipient of the money stolen from her accounts.
