Panic and grief have gripped residents of Mercyland (JABECDA) Community in Oke Eletu, Ijede LCDA, Ikorodu, after armed robbers invaded the area in the early hours of Sunday, July 12. The attackers reportedly stormed the community around 1:00 a.m. and operated unhindered until about 3:00 a.m., macheting a landlord to death and stealing phones and valuables worth millions of naira. The victim, a Kwara indigene, was allegedly killed while trying to raise an alarm to warn neighbors. Two other residents sustained serious machete wounds and are being treated in hospital.
Residents say the attack is part of a disturbing pattern, with at least six robberies recorded in the community in the past six months, and the sixth on Albert Street alone in the last four weeks. Streets including Kamoru, Albert and Badejo Ososanya have been repeatedly targeted. “Anytime these robbers invade our community, they leave behind pain, injuries and losses. We no longer sleep with our eyes closed,” a resident told our correspondent. Another victim recalled that his compound was raided four weeks ago, with robbers breaking into flats and carting away cash and phones. “Now they have returned again and killed someone. We are no longer safe.”
Community members are now pleading with the Lagos State Government for urgent intervention. They called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos Commissioner of Police, and the Inspector-General of Police to deploy more security personnel to the area. Some residents also alleged the slain landlord had received threats days before the attack, and that another elderly resident is living in fear. The community is urging police to investigate the killing, arrest the perpetrators, and restore safety to Mercyland.
