The other ugly sides to the perennial traffic gridlock in Apapa is beginning to come to the fore as commuters, residents and those who work in the port city have been recounting their ordeals, even as residents of Olodi Apapa have threatened to raze down articulated tankers and container laden trucks that may be parked in the community.
The other ugly sides to the perennial traffic gridlock in Apapa is beginning to come to the fore as commuters, residents and those who work in the port city have been recounting their ordeals, even as residents of Olodi Apapa have threatened to raze down articulated tankers and container laden trucks that may be parked in the community.
The threat by residents of Olodi Apapa had been reported by Shipping Position Daily last week, but latest development confirmed that commuters and motorists who are often trapped in the heavy traffic which often drags from the early evening of very day into the early hours of the following day on the Apapa end of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway and the Ijora artery into the port, have being contending with incessant harassment and molestation by men of the underworld.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed that the popular Mile 2 bus stops, Trinity bus stop, as well as Sunrise and Coconut bus stops are the most dangerous spits on the Apapa end of the now-notorious expressway, where people are attacked and robbed on daily basis.
Similarly, on the approach to Apapa from Ijora to Wharf Road on to the Lagos Port Complex has been described as a stretch where passengers are faced with molestations and harassments daily.
A passenger, Ndidi Obi who works in a hotel in Apapa, and whose hand bag was snatched recently, told our correspondent that the practice has been rampant in the last two weeks.
She called on the security operatives to monitor and address the situation before it leads to loss of lives and properties.
According to her, robbers have succeeded on countless occasions because of the absence of security agency on ground.
Obi disclosed that Coca Cola bus stop opposite Flour Mill is a common spot where such practices thrive along the Wharf Road to the premier port.
Also, a banker Uche Nwabueze whose office is on Wharf Road said that some of his colleagues who work in Apapa sometimes, sleep in the banking hall while other top officials have to spend ‘week days’ in hotels within the community, in order to protect their respective lives and jobs.
The banker noted that the present traffic situation is beyond the control of maritime agencies, adding that President Goodluck Jonathan’s attention is needed in Apapa, “in order for him to see what human beings are facing before getting to work and while closing from work”.
According to him, the gridlock within Apapa is a major challenge to trade facilitation. ‘’It has been weeks of terrible congestion within Apapa and there is the spillover effect to the Mile 2, Badagry expressway, Iganmu and Costain axis”, he lamented.
‘’The fact is that this is affecting everyone working within Apapa and its environs .Business and other commercial activities are now grounded”.
One of the victims of the equally frequent attack on the approach to Apapa from the Mile 2 axis, told our correspondent that at about 6:23pm on Tuesday last week, she was mugged by street urchins at the Otto bus stop, along Apapa Oshodi expressway.
Another victim told our correspondent that, he was attacked by hoodlums at Mile 2 late on Thursday, while trekking from Berger bus stop to catch any to Iyana Iba.
“It happened at about 11pm, I was in a commercial bus for about three hours between Coconut and Mile 2, so I decided to walk down to Mile 2. I was attacked, all I had on me were collected, I lost two mobile telephones, my wallet and other items were snatched”.
He further disclosed that commuters are routinely molested by hoodlums, some of whom are even armed with sophisticated weapons at the Coconut end of the road.
"The hoodlums take the advantage on the fact that commercial bus drivers keep off Apapa, so we are usually forced to walk long distances”, he stated.
Another victim who claimed to identify one of his attackers, and thus pleaded anonymity said he was trailed and attacked at Liverpool at about 9pm , while waiting for a commercial bus, he added that he was disposed of his bag, which contained money and many valuable, he claimed to have also lost his telephones.
Shipping Position Daily also learnt that a middle aged man was knocked down by a commercial bus last week. The bus which was driving against traffic on the Mlie 2 bridge to Apapa as a result of the heavy traffic on the stretch from Cele bus stop to Apapa.
As a result of the accident, security agents have been deployed to the route to disallow driving against traffic, they are positioned at Cele bus stop on the side from Mile 2.
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