How Abuja ‘One Chance’ Robbers Nearly Killed Woman Who Didn’t Have ATM Card

Madam Nguemo, a photographer in Abuja, has shared a heart-wrenching experience of how she was kidnapped, beaten to a stupor and robbed by ‘One Chance’ robbers in Abuja.

‘One chance’ is a type of robbery in which unsuspecting passengers are lured into commercial vehicles whose occupants are robbers.

This form of robbery has become rampant in many parts of the Federal Capital Territory.

While narrating her encounter with the robbers to THE WHISTLER, Madam Nguemo said she boarded a cab from Next Cash And Carry Junction heading to Bannex when the incident happened.

She said: “On Thursday evening I went to a pharmacy along Next Cash & Carry Junction, after purchasing the drugs, I boarded a cab from the junction to Bannex, the car barely moved 200 meters when the guy beside me drew close to me and aggressively dragged my bag asking to see what I had in it.

“I asked him what he wanted, but instead he brought out a jackknife and said I should behave, that he was not joking. At this point, I knew I was in for a big mess.

“The assailant gave me a dirty slap, snatched the bag from me, and at this point I started shouting Jesus! Jesus! As a believer, the only thing I could do was to pray while he was beating, assaulting and threatening to rape and kill me.”

The robbers continued to beat him while the driver continued to drive on the expressway.

Speaking further, she said, “The beatings continued for about thirty minutes, in the process, they asked me if I had people to rescue me if I was kidnapped. They asked how much I had in my account and demanded for my ATM card. But when I told them I left it at home, they became very furious and intensified the beating, one of them removed his belt roughly flogging me across my face.

“At this point, I felt my eyes were red with blood and swollen, but the beatings continued as I didn’t have my ATM card with me and couldn’t transfer money to them through their POS machine.

“Desperate for help, I began to call people I knew to send money to them.”

But if she thought that would calm the robbers, she was mistaken as they continued to beat her when any of the persons they contacted said they had no money!

“After severe beatings and checking of all my accounts, they confiscated my bag and phones and personal belongings and dropped me around 11 pm on Kubwa Express Road opposite Paradise Estate after arguing among themselves whether to push me out while the car was speeding.”

After being dropped off, she rushed to meet some police officers she saw at the gate of the estate where they dropped her.

“The Police officers were reluctant to help even after explaining my predicament to them, they kept interrogating me, and they asked me to prove to them I was actually robbed.

“I told them to look at my face, my swollen eyes and my bleeding face. At this point I was exhausted, I laid on the floor while still begging them to help me,” she explained.

Perhaps moved by what he was seeing, one of the officers eventually gave her his mobile phone to “make one call.” She quickly called her husband.

“When my husband came to pick me up, the officers apologised to me, saying they didn’t believe me as they had seen criminals fake their kidnap before,” she said.

She urged residents of the FCT, especially commuters, to be very vigilant when boarding commercial vehicles and hold some extra cash in case of emergency.

“Please be very vigilant, be very careful when you’re going out, especially at night,” she advised, happy that she was still alive.