…Suspects threaten further attacks
…Lagos Command unaware— PPRO
By our Correspondents
CITIZENS COMPASS—Residents of Mercyland, also known as the JABE Community Development Association (CDA) in Oke Eletu, Ijede Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Ikorodu Division, in Lagos State, lamented on the weekend what they described as incessant armed robbery attacks and vandalism of property in their community.
The residents claimed that the incessant attacks began about six months ago.
Citizens Compass reports that one of the attacks, which occurred on Sunday, July 12, 2026, led to the death of a community leader, Mr Abdul Azeez Tope Olaoye, while another landlord had one of his fingers chopped by the assailants.
The resident whose finger was chopped off was said to have had his house vandalised, with his Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera disconnected.
Two other landlords have been maimed in the course of the attacks.
As of the weekend, a good number of residents have relocated in droves while the remaining claimed they could nolonger sleep with their eyes closed.
A visit to JABE CDA revealed a tense atmosphere as a handful of residents left behind were in the fear of the unknown.
Some of them said they did not know what could happen next.
The residents who pleaded anonymity said that their lives were in danger as Police in Ijede appeared to be helpless over the incessant attacks.
Citizens Compass reports that on that fateful July 12, the suspected armed robbers reportedly operated freely between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 3a.m
In the process, the late Olaoye, who noticed the arrival of these men of the underworld, crept outside his home, blowing a whistle to alert other residents, but the suspected armed robbers traced and matcheted him as he later gave up the ghost following the injuries he sustained.
Before then, some residents were said to be alerted to always watch their backs, but such alerts were ignored until July 12 when Olaoye, alongside two other residents,wwas matcheted. While Olaoye did not survive the attack, two of his neighbours are still nursing the injuries sustained as a result of the attack.
Citizens Compass learnt that Olaoye’s death sent a wrong signal to other residents who also restrategised after reporting the incident to the Police.
The last Sunday in July happened to be another fateful day in this community as some suspected armed robbers stormed the area as usual.
The latest attack occurred on Tuesday, August 4, 2026,
but the suspects met their Waterloo as three of them were apprehended by some vigilant residents.
Information at the disposal of Citizens Compass said two of the suspects escaped the scene while the remaining one was beaten, stripped naked, and handed over to the Police.
Citizens Compass gathered that a building under construction was vandalised, leaving its intended resident, a female, hopeless.
The apprehended suspect turned out to be a member of a suspected cultist group whose colleagues have been threatening fire and brimstone, telling residents to prepare for the worst should their apprehended member be taken to court or investigated. This has heightened the existing tension in JABE CDA, particularly around Kamoru Street, Albert Street and Badejo Ososanya Street, which have been targeted by the assailants.
In a chat with our Correspondent, residents called on the government at all levels to bail them out of their predicament.
A resident who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he had relocated his immediate family out of the CDA. “The present situation is very difficult for children, and that was why my wife and children are presently squatting with a family friend around Maryland. They are uncomfortable in that place, but that is all I can do for now.
“We are pleading with the Lagos State Government, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Commissioner of Police and the Inspector-General of Police to come to our rescue. We need a security presence in our community. We can nolonger sleep with our two eyes closed because of the constant attacks by armed robbers.”
Another resident said he was contemplating relocating to his home town in Oyo State.
Contacted, Abimbola Adebisi, spokesperson, Lagos State Police Command, said the Command was unaware of the incessant attacks on the community.
A resident of Ijede and chieftain of APC, Tosin Onamade, was murdered in 2025. His death was connected to the power tussle in Ijede.
