The generator & tap water gimmicks: Police alert Lagosians on robbers new tricks

Robbers in Lagos have deviced new tricks to gain entrance into houses with minimal effort by switching off running power generating sets or turning on tap water, to lure people out. The Lagos State Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Dolapo Badmos, issued the alert in an interview yesterday.

She advised residents not to come out at night, if they noticed that taps within their compounds were opened or when their generators suddenly stopped working. Some Lagos residents shared their experience of how criminals used the tricks to attack their homes.

Tunji Ajayi, a resident of Agbado, said: “I left my generator on at night as usual, but at about 2 a.m, it suddenly went off. I took my time to observe what must have happened, through the window before stepping out, but suddenly, I heard footsteps, so I decided to stay back.

When they could not gain access into my house, they became frustrated, they then decided to take away my generator.” Adenike Okubanjo, a resident of Egbeda, said: “I left my generator on with the intention of putting it off at about 10 p.m, but I slept off.

I later woke up at midnight after the generator had gone off, although I knew there was enough fuel to last till the morning. Even at that, I decided not to go out until morning, but only to be woken by a neighbor and informed that some armed robbers came into the compound.

The neighbour told me how the robbers followed him into his house when he came out to check his generator, after it suddenly went off.” Pius Bamidele, a resident of Ikorodu, said: “When I heard water coming out of the tap at about 1.30a.m, I wondered who could be fetching water and would have left the tap open at that time of the day.

As soon as I came out, one the robbers pointed a gun at me and walked me into my apartment, where they made away with some of my property and also beat me up for not having enough cash on him.”