By Kola Bola

Can a woman have her honour intact without her adorable breasts? Will a pregnant woman ever be so generous to lend out her vagina before childbirth? Well, all the answers to these posers will come in the affirmative the day a certified impotent becomes a proud father and a blind is enthroned a king over those with their starry eyes intact.

Yet, this palpable anomaly is a norm in Lagos, and without active affiliations with the areaboys, louts and the merchants of mayhem politicians hardly grace the corridor of power in Lagos without untold harassment from the men whose bones have displaced the proficiency of their brains. They are rich, well connected and parade army of boys whose major occupation is to foment troubles in parks across the state; sometimes they also engage in land grabbing at a sumptuous price and are ever available to political patronages. In their own regards, they are princes of pandemonium. Funny enough they all enjoy police escorts like they are lily-livered, though it’s glaring to all that they are not weaklings. But like the ageless Yoruba adage says, ‘a man who kills with the sword would not love one near his own neck’, these purveyors of fracas are even afraid of their shadows. No wonder most of their ringleaders like their political lords have their children kept in overseas countries.

Lagos, the fifth largest economy in Africa, is the commercial nerve of Nigeria, aside being the former capital city of Nigeria, which makes it the most sought after destination for investors, tourists and those seeking greener pastures. Lagos glories on its sprawling population, and no doubt, transportation businesses in air, sea and land also thrive in the city. However, because of lack of comprehensive plan for road transportation especially by the government of the state until recent, the areaboys have bare their fangs on virtually all junctions and parks making money by the power of their feasts as against their brains. This has emerged Lagos a bespoke sobriquet as the notorious headquarters of Nigerian louts, called areaboys in Lagos parlance.

From Oshodi to Mushin, Ojuelegba, Obalende, Ojota, Ikorodu, Iyana Ipaja, Agege, Ikeja, Ajah, Orile-Iganmu, Ijora, Jibowu, name them, these rich louts have divided the parks among themselves and violently making free money while government seems contented with the peanuts that come its way. Prior to the coming of the Bus Rapid Transportation (BRT) system by the Lagos State Government, one can imagine the depth of the depravity of these areaboys while the ‘molue’ and ‘danfo’ rule the Lagos roads unhindered.

Before, a stranger to Oshodi would do everything possible to avoid passing through the area particularly at night, because of the fear of being harassed, molested, raped or robbed. Street urchins and hoodlums take laws into their hands and because there is no traditional ruler in Oshodi, it is a place where every hoodlum fights to be recognized. The hoodlums are feared by transporters, traders, hawkers and market women. Their leaders are reputed to be on politicians’ payroll as they are used as thugs in political wars of settling grudges with political opponents. Even the police avoid them.

In early 1990s, Ugochukwu Dum Obiora, a notorious areaboy known as “Bomboy” took control of Oshodi. Bomboy employed the weapon of fear and violence to oppress and extort money from bus drivers and traders doing business in Oshodi. His style of money making which was akin to that of Bayo ‘Ogundare’ Success, who held sway in the Second Republic during the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and National Party of Nigeria (NPN) era. Bomboy soon became the toast of most politicians within and outside Oshodi, who saw him as a tool to rig elections, harass and intimidate their political opponents.

This, of course made the position of Oshodi leader (Olori) lucrative and the clamour to become Olori became a do-or-die affair. To make the situation worse, law enforcement agents romance these hoodlums and made them seems larger than life and above the law. So, they always get away with their crimes. But new gangs soon emerged within the rank and file.

Gangs like the 36 Kiniun (Lions) headed by Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as Olu-Omo, soon gained prominence. Diekot, headed by the late Wasiu Trailer, who migrated from Ibadan, also waxed strong.

There were several other popular subordinates like Sule Nayam popularly known as George Bush and Baba Fela. Bomboy later died due to a mysterious sore that he had on his legs, while Wasiu Trailer also died in similar way on his return from Saudi Arabia. After their death Talo held sway briefly as Olori, before he was humiliated by MC Olu-Omo of the 36 Kiniun gang. As it were, fracas continued among the gangs.

For those who have not forgotten Bayo Success and his inglorious role in the South West crisis that engulfed between UPN and NPN, the link between the politicians and these so-called street boys otherwise known as areaboys could be drawn without much stress. The politicians need votes and louts though many in numbers but more importantly have the violent endowment to intimidate and scare off voters where their candidates seem to have fewer supporters.

They freely use guns and other dangerous weapons, you see them among the high in town and even at government functions, having unrestricted hobnobs with who-is-who in the political circle.

Will Lagos one day do without the services of these lords of violence? Well, while one cannot foreclose such possibility, it is largely doubtful if such near utopian thought can fly in the nearest future. Far from being a prophet of doom.

Lagos politics renewed contacts with these dangerous boys countdown to 1999, and they have been hugely empowered with some allocations granted, which allows their gang leaders to freely relate with the wielders of political power in the state. A politician can only ignore them to the detriment of his political career.

What happened recently at the flag-off rally of the APC governorship candidate, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, only served as a veritable ground to appraise the fact that the affinity between the politicians and the areaboys has gone way too deep to be severed overnight.

Taken for granted in the latest melee is the fact that the tenure of the NURTW Chairman in the state, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, is fast winding up, succession in-fighting has been rocking the association in the last few years.

It would be recalled that sometime late last year, Kunle Poly, also mentioned as one of the principal actors of the latest crisis that has put the life of MC Olu-Omo on the line, narrowly escaped death though his Personal Assistant/Bodyguard was not that lucky as he paid the maximum price for his boss’ crime.

The source of income for these gangs is extortion; monies from politicians and political godfathers who use them as tools to destabilize the society and rig elections. They can go to any length to extort money from bus drivers and petty traders. Such humongous amount of money seamlessly generated has continued to cause problems within and outside the gangs.

Though the Lagos Police Command has declared Mustapha Adekunle, popularly as Tafa Seigo, wanted over the attack on MC Olu-Omo at the rally, many observers have noted that such measure may proffer no lasting solution to the pugnacious issue.

Despite the scathing remarks credited to Mr. Joe Igbokwe, spokesman for the APC in Lagos, threatening to ban the NURTW in Lagos, tensions still fly very high in the state.

Igbokwe said, “If there are sensible persons still left in NURTW Lagos chapter let them put their house in order now or risk proscription.”

He added that “Their (NURTW members) endless brigandage in Lagos can no longer be tolerated.”

However, when the rumoured death of MC Olu-Omo was spread around Lagos on Thursday, the police authorities quickly issued statement to debunk it, knowing full well the magnitude of chaos such information could cause in the state.

MC Olu-Omo, Kunle Poly, Talo Skibo, Tafa Seigo, Koko Zaria, Hamburger, Esi Oluwo, Owoseni, Nayam, Mamok among others are just few of these notorious guys, who had been illicitly made by their godfathers, and today with their retinues of foot soldiers across the state are powerful enough to bring down the whole state within few hours.

It will also be recalled that Esi Oluwo and Hamburger both from Oshodi are dead. Esi Oluwo died in 2015 when he defected to PDP, which led to APC loss in almost all elections in Oshodi. It was also gathered that a particular influential politician called Oluwo and bribed him to return to APC. The day he returned to APC, he was stabbed reportedly at an APC rally and he died, while Hamburger was killed at the Oshodi APC primaries in 2017. Some close aides of both Oluwo and Hamburger attested to the fact that MC Olu-Omo openly supervised the killings. MC Olu-Omo was declared wanted by the Police, but he withdrew from public arena, he later resurfaced, and started walking freely with MOPOL escorts.

During the Osun governorship election, a video went viral online showing MC Olu-Omo threatening the Senate President of Nigeria, Dr Bukola Saraki.

Before things get out of hands, would it be too odd to learn some lessons from the past nefarious activities of similarly powerful gangsters in the political history of Nigeria, especially the South West.

At the height of the widespread violence that greeted Western Region following the alleged massive rigging of the 1965 polls, history has it that “By November 1, 1965, a riot at Ekiti (a district under Ondo Province) resulted in the death of 15 people, while a fresh riot four days later caused the loss of 20 lives. Sixteen people were killed in Ijebu-Ode and Ondo areas on November 7, 1965. Houses and vehicles were set on fire and to travel within the Western Region and from other regions into the West was a menace because of thugs and gangsters who took law into their own hands while the Police failed to maintain law and order. There was tension and wanton destruction of human lives and properties.

“Nigerians looked to the Federal Government to step in to arrest the situation in the Region, but all pleas were to no avail. Meanwhile, the riots and killings continued and the NNDP Government of the Western Region imposed curfews in Mushin, Ikeja, Agege, Ajeromi and Awori districts. Yet, the disturbances continued and each day brought a new toll of rioting, arson, looting and murder. The crisis over the struggle for political power during the Western Regional elections of October 11, 1965 was the last straw that broke the camel’s back which really convinced the January Boys of their military putsch on the morning of January 15, 1966.”

Lagos can sure live without this sordid record in history if concerted efforts are made on time to control the influence of violent mongers, especially those who are politically exposed among them. With the magnitude of money, arms and charms in the hands of these ultra-modern thugs, the wreck can only be better imagined.