Recently we were notified of an increase in okada (motorcycle) robberies along the expressway between our house and the office. They tend to occur between 18:00 and 22:00. That's when the traffic comes to a standstill and the 5 km journey becomes an hour or more. An okada zooms up alongside a likely looking car, like one of our company cars that have a distinctive reflective strip added to the back bumper. A window is smashed and valuables demanded. Oftentimes there will be two or more okadas working together.
Once the loot is grabbed, the okada(s) can zip away between the stopped cars and easily get away. I'm told this activity increases around christmas time. How's that for christmas spirit?
Sitting by the pool last weekend, the old hands were advising the fresh fish on how to handle this problem. First of all, you must carry some cash or valuables as having nothing to hand over can result in getting dragged out of the car and beaten. Ideally, one should wear a watch, expecially if it looks expensive. A $20 Rolex will work great. And have some handing over cash readily available and the rest of your money hidden somewhere else. N3, 000 was suggested as being a good balance between not losing too much yet still satisfying the robbers.
You are safer if the police don't show up. If they are nearby by some random chance, they will likely run away so it's usually not a problem. If some hero policeman tries to intervene, get out of there if at all possible as there exists a real chance that shooting will break out in the wildest and least effective manner endangering everyone except the robbers. The only recent case of the police actually being effective was an incident on the Falomo bridge where the frightened robbers jumped into the creek and drowned.
If your Rolex gets taken, next time you are stuck in traffic buy a new one from the peddlers working between the lanes. Maybe you will even get your old watch back. Still a bargain even if you have to buy it twice.
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