The Computer Village, located in Lagos State, Nigeria, is an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hub where sales of information and technology accessories and repair of mobile phones and computers are carried out.
The Computer Village, being what it is- a community that attracts thousands of people all day, all year- comes with benefits such as reducing the country’s unemployment rate, increasing Nigeria’s GDP as well as putting the country’s name on the list of tech-savvy nations.
Having considered all of these, the popular tech hub is a haven for all manner of things outside the tech business. The news that people get swindled, while some others have been robbed of their properties with no aide for the victims, is not very popular among residents or visitors in Nigeria’s commercial capital.
Although the trend has been around for years, it has not been addressed by law enforcement agents, even though they have a post in the heart of the market.
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On a good afternoon, Tayo Omole went to the market, by Under-Bridge, Ikeja, to get a mobile phone after saving for months.
According to Tayo, he met a phone dealer and they agreed on a price after he examined the product. The dealer told him (Tayo) to wait a moment while he packed the phone in a proper bag.
After a while, the phone dealer returned with a polythene bag containing the phone. Tayo made his way home, with joy in his heart; he had fulfilled that one dream of acquiring a Samsung Galaxy device. But Tayo’s world fell apart when reached for his new device, only to find out that the bag contained fufu. He had just lost his hard-earned money.
Our friend, Tayo, is one of many persons to have fallen victim to this horrible mechanism aimed at robbing people of their joy and causing heartache.
On another occasion, West had gone to Computer Village after work. It was the end of the month and he was in high spirit because he was sure he would get a new phone.
Accompanied by Mojeed, a colleague and close pal, they negotiated for a phone, which they got. West, unlike Tayo, is familiar with the experiences of other people in the hands of these swindlers, so, he applied plenty of caution.
After collecting his newly-purchased device, West checked to see if it was intact. Yes, everything was fine. He removed the phone from the pack and tucked it in his puck. Moments on, he was nudged by a passer-by and he (West) cussed under his breath.
But then Mojeed said: “West, check your pocket.” Alas! The brand-new phone was gone.
Both young men sprinted after the man they suspected to be responsible for the theft. They were right about the suspect but the man had handed the phone to another man referred to as Alaye.
Both men pleaded for their property to be returned but Alaye, flanked by four other men, demanded that they paid 2k or forget the phone. Both men had to cough out the amount requested. The rest, they say, is history.
Meanwhile, these criminals are popular among shop owners and other stakeholders in the ever-busy market, yet, no one knows who they are.
Computer Village, in all its glory, is stained by the activities of criminal elements that have succeeded in causing nothing but pain to unsuspecting members of the public.
This article is aimed at informing members of the public and advise them on the need dearly guard themselves and what’s theirs whenever they’re in or around Computer Village.
