Robbers Attack Security Express Magazine Photo-Editor

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

The hooliganism associated with Shomolu area of Lagos reared its ugly head last Saturday when the Photo-Editor of Security Express Magazine, Mr. Oluwasegun Falola, was attacked by armed men at his No. 17 Bajulaye Street, Shomolu residence.

P.M.EXPRESS reports though he escaped death by whiskers, he was seriously injured by the robbers who were armed with sharp cutlasses and stormed his apartment at about 3am.

Narrating his ordeal, Falola who was still very much in pains, said he was sleeping in his apartment when the attackers unexpectedly forced his door open. According to him, initially it was like a dream as he was too weak physically to stand as he had just returned from a church vigil the previous night and needed to sleep well in order to regain some strength.

He was said to be alone at home when the robbers came as his wife and children had gone to spend the weekend with her aging grandmother in Surulere area of Lagos. As the robbers gained access into the apartment, Falola was immediately ordered to bring all the cash he had but as soon as he told them that he had no cash at home, one of them attacked him aiming to tear his head with the cutlass. As Falola tried to defend his head with his left hand, the cutlass got his palm. His fingers were not spared as the sharpness of the cutlass enabled easy access thereby rendering one of the fingers almost dead clinically according to what the doctors told him.

As the Photo-Editor was battling with the last energy as blood was gushing from his head, hand and other parts of the body a result of machete cuts, the robbers demanded for his bank ATM which they collected along with his laptop, three mobile phones, video camera, computer hard drive and other valuables before exiting his apartment after locking his door from outside to ensure he did not come out. Not done yet, the robbers whose number could not easily be ascertained even though only two went into Falola’s apartment, went ahead to rob two of his neighbours.

With the fear that he might easily die as he was fast losing blood, the Security Express staff decided to take a survival decision by breaking his window and jumping out from there not minding whether he would meet the robbers outside as they were still robbing his neighbours. As he managed to escape from his compound, he ran straight to a nearby De-Bajo Hospital.  As neighbours, the medical staff at the hospital knew him very well, so they could not hesitate in giving him urgent attention. He was promptly admitted for treatment.

It was about 10am on Sunday before his wife, Mrs. Oluwabukola Falola, could be informed by a younger sibling to the Photo-Editor.
He is said to be responding very fast to treatment.  However, one thing that troubles him is the fact that his huge life savings in the bank had been collected by the robbers with his stolen ATM. He is still at a loss as to how possible it was for the robbers to have access to his account when they did not bother to ask for his pin number as at the time they took the ATM card from him. It was only when he tried to withdraw money in order to pay hospital bills that he realised that there was no money in his account.

Meanwhile, the matter has been reported to Alade Police Station but no arrest has been made so far.