Enugu residents have raised the alarm over the high concentration of miscreants, “pick pockets” at Ogbete Main Market Road in Enugu State.
The major road, popularly called “Holy Ghost” is situated around a Holy Ghost Catholic Cathedral and it’s believed to be one of the busiest roads in the state.
All public transport companies operating in the state also have their offices within this road, making it a must stop location for travellers.
Consequently, criminals who specialize in pilfering and robbing unsuspecting travellers and residents have taken over the place.
Some victims who spoke to DailyPost said criminals have even introduced a new trend into their devilish act as they now pretend to be passengers in tricycles, popularly known as Keke NAPEP to steal.
A Journalist who fell victim last Friday said he withdrew N40,000 from one of the commercial banks in the area, lamenting that the money ended up in the hands of pickpockets.
“I have been hearing what they do to people at Holy Ghost but it used to sound so strange to me until last last Friday.
“I cashed money from one of the banks there and walked down to board Keke. One drove down to where I was standing, he was carrying one passenger, I asked if he was plying Edinbugh route, he said I should enter. I got in and almost immediately, another guy entered, I was then in the middle.
“On getting to Edinbugh, I brought N50 from one of my pockets and paid the rider. I requested one of the presumed passengers to pave way so that I could alight. They refused; instead they merely shifted. I didn’t know that something was fishing.
“When I got to my house, I wanted to drop the money, but to my greatest shock, I couldn’t find anything. I had a momentary madness, I didn’t know what was happening, but gradually it dawned on me that I have fallen victim to “pick pockets”.
He added that when he returned the following day to lodge complaint at the Keke loading spot, the riders sympathized with him and promised to investigate the matter.
“They told me that they were indeed worried as such incident was becoming a regular occurence. It’s now two days, so , I have gotten over the incident, but I’m calling on visitors and residents to be extremely careful there”, he advised. The journalist is just one among hundreds of victims. A provision dealer also revealed how she lost N70,000 to the criminals.
Narrating her ordeal, she said: “I was on my way to Ogbete Market to shop for my wares when the incident happened. I had N70,000 on my pocket, the money was still intact when I got down from the bus, but on getting inside the market, I discovered that the money was gone”. Further investigations also showed that apart from pilferrers, armed robbers also disguise as taxi drivers and wait for early morning passengers there.
“Once you enter such cab, often called one chance, they will stop you somewhere along the road and disposes you of all your valuables at gun point”, said a resident.
Curiously, the presence of many security agents within this location has not helped the matter as the situation has continued to get bad daily.
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