It is said about the wealthy and prominent that certain ills may be too far away, but are still as neighbourly to them as they were to the poor and undistinguished. Sickness, misfortune, failure and frustration; all are thought of to be the common lot of men, without any discernible regard for standing or station. With recent events, armed robbery may be added to the mix – although it cannot be argued that it was not always there.
The alleged victim of this night-time ministration is none other than Mr. Osaro Onaiwu, who is the Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum. According to the reports, Mr. Onaiwu and his family underwent the ragged treatment of armed theft in the hands of five armed robbers, four of whom were masked.
The atrocious and dreadful event is reported to have taken place in the Abuja residence of Mr. Onaiwu, beginning at about 1 am on Wednesday the 15th of January, 2020. As is their custom, the robbers allegedly indicated their presence and intentions with gunshots intermittently doled out into the air. This, doubtless, was meant to convey to their intended targets the solemn objective of their mission, and dire consequences – should their operation be hindered in any way.
Further reports state that the armed robbers – in the course of the operation – instructed the PDP chieftain, alongside his wife and children, to lie face-down and not trouble themselves with anything. During that time, the gunmen turned the house upside down, emptying every purse and pouch and minaudière. Nothing less thorough, the looting exposed the armed robbers to be professionals in their dark trade.
Speaking afterward, Mr. Onaiwu was reported as estimating the loot (including cash and valuables such as trinkets, televisions and phones) to be over 100 million. Decrying the whole debacle, the PDP chieftain was described as baffled regarding how the gunmen gained access into the estate around Games Village, without notice or challenge, leaving behind trauma and shock that – at the time of narrating the unpleasant tale – were still the dominant emotions.
There is no escape, it seems, from such vicious undertakings. Not even the nation’s capital, Abuja, appears to be free of the shadow of armed robbery, security be damned. This is the same conclusion Mr. Onaiwu allegedly came to.
