Phone snatching has been on the rise in Kano recently. Individuals have been attacked at unsuspecting locations, in the open. Residents no longer walk with valuable or expensive phones at night, in fear of phone theft and violent attacks by criminals who go on a rampage to snatch phones and possible valuables.
Responding to this menace, some residents have been able to either escape from repressive attacks by assailants or act adequately in such situations.
Some residents who spoke to Daily News 24 reporter in Kano recount their experiences with phone thieves and how they scaled through.
“Those guys are terrible. Some of them go around with dangerous weapons and oftentimes attack fragile people and cart away with their phones”
This is how Ms Ochanya describes phone thieves. She narrates her experience when she was almost attacked, with a chance of her phone being snatched as she was on her way home after work in the evening.
“When I alighted from the tricycle I boarded in order to give way to a passenger who reached his Bus-Stop, I noticed two suspicious guys at a distance discussing. In a few seconds they began advancing towards the tricycle and as they arrived, they initiated a conversation with the driver in hush tones. I got suspicious and immediately I noticed a foul play, I took to my heels.
“As I ran away from the scene, the suspicious looking guys pursued me and immediately I noticed that, I ran towards a brightly lit shop and stayed there for about a few minutes. As the guys retreated, I flagged another tricycle down, and took another route to my house. I narrowly escaped those thieves” Ms Ochnya explained.
After having a bad day at work, frustration was what he was experiencing, coupled the stress of the day. All Mr Seyi Funmi needed was a book to read which would calm his nerves down and take his mind off the terrible experience he faced earlier at work, so he set out to buy a book which he hoped will do just what he wanted.
With earphones comfortably in his ears, listening to an inspirational message as he walked away from the bookshop, a hoodlum suddenly pounced on him and his phone was the target.
“I never knew he had been on my trail and because I had earphones on, I wasn’t conscious of the footsteps behind mebefore he aggressively attempted to snatch my phone.
“The assailant attacked me in a location which was very dark and had few people on the street. He came from behind, grabbed me unaware, and reached out for my phone but I was resilient not to allow him cart away with my phone.
“We began struggling for minutes but the moment he realized I was resistant, he ran off into thin air. That wasn’t the first time experiencing this situation. It has happened three times and all were unsuccessful” he said.
It was a good day, he had a reasonable number of customers and made good sales. He was fulfilled that night and as the saying goes, “I sell beta market today ooo”.
As he walked down the fairly tarred road which was void of streetlights just along Eldorado Cinema, Vincent was heading home after the hard day’s work before he had his fair share of phone theft.
Explaining his ordeal, Vincent explained that he wasn’t attacked with daggers or harmful weapons by hoodlums, rather an Adaidata sahu (Tricycle in Hausa) was used to swiftly snatch his phone as the driver zoomed off. “It was very fast and no one could understand what happened and even if I shouted, people would think I’m crazy or raising a false alarm” he said.
“The tricycle which was used to snatch my phone didn’t have a plate number or registration number and the driver didn’t have any passenger on board. It was just 8pm and i didn’t expect that to happen. This city is turning to something else. Can’t someone walk peacefully at night without any fear of being attacked? Well, I was so pissed off and I tried to fight back to get my phone.
“As the driver approached Airport road, there was a building traffic and that was a good opportunity for me to get my phone back. He taught I had gone and won’t fight to get my phone back. As I located the driver in the traffic, I turned his Tricycle upside down, took my phone and left. He sustained an injury in his head as he fell off the tricycle but I didn’t mind. All I cared about was my phone.
“I didn’t think of involving the police because it would take forever to get my phone back and since I had the opportunity to get it back, I had to take the bull by the horn. There were few people on the road at that time and , to my greatest surprise, the tricycle driver didn’t attack me but got up, drove ahead and snatched a passerby’s iPhone and zoomed off” Vincent explained.
Mallam Adamu a Tricyle driver explains how some hooligans use the tricycle business as a guise to snatch phones and valuables.
According to him, a lot of hooligans who go under the pretext of carrying out their job with the mindset of robbing, operate mostly at night, and do that with tricycles which are void of plate numbers to avoid being traced.
“Before picking a genuine passenger, some of these thieves make arrangements with their accomplices who would pretend to be passengers (Fake passengers) and wait at a particular junction, mostly dark places where very few people are present. After they pick up their accomplice (Fake passenger), they would then launch their attack.
“Some could also be with their accomplice in the tricycle and whenever they get a soft target, the would snatch and run. Most times they sell the phones they steal for as low as 3,000 Naira and use it to purchase substances which would get them intoxicated” He said.
To stay safe mostly at nights, Mallam Adamu said “taking drop” is efficient when boarding a tricycle at odd hours in order to avoid being robbed. “ For individuals to avoid repressive attacks by phone thieves, they should be mindful of the tricycle they board. People should never stop a tricycle which doesn’t have a plate number or a boldly written registration number.
“People should flag down tricycles at brightly lit areas or busy places where activities are ongoing. Flagging down a tricycle with a driver who is visibly smoking is a red flag. Also if your conscience isn’t pleased with the driver, it is advisable to alight at a busy location, pay the driver off, and board another tricycle” Mallam Adamu concluded.
What Kano Residents say on Safety measures
Avoid going out with expensive phones at night.
Avoid using your phone when on transit unless necessary.
Make sure you have your phone’s IMEI number written down for tracking, in case your phone gets stolen.
Always ensure your phone is locked with a password, finger print, or face lock.
In a situation where you realize you are being trailed, run to an open place and call for help.
When you are attacked with weapons, don’t resist, you could get fatally injured.
