The activities of suspected
fraudsters,‘One Chance’ in Abuja have been on a tremendous rise leading to a
massive outcry by young Nigerians especially ladies in the capital city of
Nigeria.
‘One chance’ is a slang used to
describe the activities of criminal-minded persons who pretend to be cab
drivers and pick up passengers with the intention of taking them to their
destination but Enroute, these criminal-minded drivers with other accomplices
(who pretend to be passengers) attack unsuspecting passengers and strip them of
all their personal effects and belongings.
Some of these attacks lead to the
death of the unsuspecting passengers, especially where the passenger is thrown
out of a moving car or tries to engage these criminal elements in a scuffle.
While many Nigerians are of the
opinion that the increasing rate of ‘One Chance’ is as a result of the poor
economy and increasing unemployment rate, others have blamed the mode of
dressing of these young ladies who stand on major roads as an attraction to
drivers and operators of ‘One Chance’
But in this report, Dailypost encountered some ladies who shared their sad stories while calling on the FCT
minister and the FCT police command to put an end to the scary encounter ladies
have to go through daily while commuting to their respective places of
work/business.
It has, however, remained a
conjecture that the dressing of these young ladies has made them targets of
‘One Chance’ activities, as men have equally fallen victims on several
occasions.
Speaking, a
victim of ‘One Chance’, Amarachi Nwachukwu narrated her experience after she
boarded a cab from Area 1 to Jabi on a fateful Tuesday.
“I boarded a cab at Area 1 to
Jabi with a passenger in it who was to alight on the way. On getting to Utako,
the passenger asked the driver to stop for him to come down. When the driver
brought the car to a halt, the passenger brought out a dollar note for payment,
thereafter, an argument ensued between the passenger and the driver as the
driver refused to collect the dollar note.
“The passenger who was speaking
in French pretended not to understand English, even as he requested to be taken
to the French Embassy rather than his initial destination.
“I was sitting at the back and
tried to intervene with my little knowledge of the French language as I was in
a hurry to get to work. Suddenly I got so engrossed, immediately I started
speaking with the French guy and that was how he showed me a trick of paper
being turned into dollar, which made me uncomfortable to continue my trip with
that cab, and when I wanted to alight from the cab, a gun was pointed at me.
“I was asked to surrender my ATM
card and pin as the driver went to the nearest ATM point to withdraw money
while a gun was pointed at me in the car in case my pin failed.
“After they successfully took
money from the ATM, they started the car and stopped along Area 3 express and
they threw me out of the vehicle, which resulted in injuries.
“I survived the push by God’s
grace and since then I’ve been so scared about boarding ‘along’ cabs in FCT.”
Also, a victim, who pleaded to be
anonymous revealed that the drivers have employed a new technique of
using women as passengers. She disclose that some even disguise in NYSC
uniforms to lure passengers into the vehicle pretending to be heading to a
particular bus stop.
Narrating her encounter, she
said, “I entered a cab from Berger to Apo bridge. Before I entered, I saw two
other girls at the back with iPhones and on NYSC uniforms. I felt it was a good
cab and entered. Shortly after I entered, the girls started a conversation with
the driver and the passenger in front which got me uncomfortable but I stayed
calm.
“On getting to that junction that
takes you to the stadium, they turned and to my surprise, the girls in uniform
pointed a gun at me to bring my bag and phone. I hesitated, but the other
passenger in front turned and threatened me and I immediately gave them the bag
and phone. Thereafter, they threw me out of the car.
“I was thankful that day for my
life even though I lost my phone and money in my bag. I trekked that night to
the main road where I met some kind-hearted people who helped me out with
transport fare home.
“I’m calling on the authorities
to find a lasting solution to this menace and secure the lives of Nigerian
youths seeking daily bread and going about their businesses daily.”
The increasing rate of ‘One
chance’ has not only put fear in the minds of young girls while commuting in
Abuja but has also endangered many lives.
Recall that some operators of
‘One Chance’ were recently apprehended and burnt in Dutse Alhaji and Kubwa
Expressway.
The FCT Police Command speaking
on the menace of one chance in Abuja had assured Nigerians of its unwavering
commitment to fighting ‘one chance’ robbery and reducing the crime to its
barest minimum,
DSP Anjuguri Manzah, FCT Police
Public Relations Officer encouraged the public to be security-conscious and
report all suspicious persons or activities to the nearest police formation or
contact the Command’s Control Room on the following Police emergency numbers:
08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653
He, however, condemned the
killing of three suspected one-chance robbers by an angry mob at Dutse Alhaji
weeks ago.
Even though a lasting solution
has not been proffered to this menace, we can recall popular techniques
residents of FCT should watch out while in a vehicle. These include discussions
about dollar notes and money in the boot of a car.
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