Anita Amarachi Uchola, a second-year Philosophy student at Lagos State University (LASU), was the victim of a terrifying robbery over the weekend. The incident occurred on Friday along the Iyana Oba-LASU Road when she boarded a commercial bus, unaware that it was occupied by a gang of armed robbers known as “one chance.”
Anita, who is currently recovering in a local hospital, sustained injuries during the assault and lost valuables totaling approximately N952,000 after the robbers hacked her accounts.
On the day of the attack, Anita left her school around noon to deliver goods to her customers. Earlier, she had visited her faculty office to resolve registration issues but found it closed due to staff absence. “I had a few deliveries to drop off at my shipping company,” she explained.
Around 12:16 pm, while heading home, she encountered increased transport fares, leading her to take a bus instead of a bike. Unfortunately, this choice turned into a nightmare.
As the bus approached her stop, Anita shouted for the driver to stop, but her pleas went unheard. “I was slapped by someone I thought was just a fellow passenger,” she recounted. Realizing her peril, she attempted to call for help, only to be struck in the head with a gun.
She described a horrifying moment when an elderly woman sitting next to her revealed herself to be part of the gang. “She stripped me of all my belongings while the bus was still moving,” Anita said. A man she initially believed to be the conductor threatened her with a gun, demanding her phone and passwords.
The ordeal reached its peak when the robbers forcibly ejected her from the moving vehicle. “Fortunately, the road was not busy, so I wasn’t hit by any passing vehicle,” she recalled.
Afterward, an okada rider helped her by giving her N500 for transport. Anita attempted to block her phone line but discovered she needed her National Identification Number (NIN), which she didn’t have on hand. With the help of bystanders, she eventually made her way to FESTAC, where she managed to secure her accounts. However, by the time her phone was restored, all the money had been drained from her accounts.
“They accessed all my social media and iCloud, emptying my PiggyVest savings of N640,000 and taking another N312,000 from my Access Bank account,” she detailed.
Anita was subsequently admitted to a hospital for evaluation of her physical and mental state. Although she is currently experiencing vision impairment due to the beating, she remains hopeful for recovery. The incident has been reported to the FESTAC Town Police Station, but the police have yet to track down the individuals who received the stolen funds.
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