The ‘Ember Months’ are here again, and as characterized with this period of the year, criminal activities are always on the increase between September to December of every year and this is due to the desperate desire of some people to meet up with their set goals/target in the year.

The global economic meltdown experienced, may also mean that many more people, than ever before, will turn to various crimes to make ends meet. It is therefore expedient that we remind ourselves of certain risks associated with daily living and how these could be mitigated and we wish that we all pay particular attention should to the following safety measures during this ‘ember month’:

Car Security
• All parked cars should be firmly locked to avoid strange object being dropped in the car which could be activated remotely.
• Notify a security guard should you notice any strange object within and outside the premises.
• Avoid closing late from the office

Residential Security

• Be alert and aware of your environment. Keep a low profile.
• Always secure gates, doors and windows to your residence.
• Ensure security lights are functioning.
• Do not give vital/personal information to persons unfamiliar to you.

Social Outings

• Always let close family members know where you are going, and when you are likely to return.
• Vary your route to work or leisure locations.
• Avoid late outings unless it is absolutely necessary.
• Avoid crowded places.
• Always have your mobile phone with you, in case you need to make emergency calls.

Financial Transactions

• Do not discuss financial matters in the open.
• Avoid huge cash transactions. Use ATMs or online transfers, where necessary.
• When coming out of a bank, watch out for suspicious movements.
• Do not carry black polythene bags or big brown envelopes. It may attract criminals.

Travel Security

• Always pre-plan your journey and ensure the vehicle is in good working condition.
• If you must travel by public transport, use registered and well known transport company.
• Discuss travel details only with family members.
• Do not give rides to strangers, including persons dressed in uniform, as they may be armed robbers in disguise.
• Stick to main roads and avoid lonely routes.
• On approaching a checkpoint, stop and obey all instructions.
• If at night, turn on your interior lights some distance away from the checkpoint.
• If chauffer driven, brief driver on your expectations of his behavior on the road.

Child Security

• When going out (cinema, shopping mall etc), always keep children close to you.
• Discourage children from talking to, or receiving gifts from strangers. It could be bait to kidnap.

In the event of an Incident Occurring

• Comply, Comply and Comply with the demands of the criminals – DO NOT RESIST, DO NOT ARGUE
• Do not play the Hero.
• Do not make eye contact with the criminals as they may think you want to identify them later.
• Seek permission from the criminals before making any sudden body movement, such as unfastening seat belt etc.
• Be calm. Remember, most criminals are under the influence of drugs and alcohol and will pull the trigger at the slightest provocation.
• Always remember: Your safety is paramount, loss of personal possessions is temporary but your life is irreplaceable.

In an Emergency

• Report incident to the nearest Police Station.
• Police Emergency Number 08060357795, 07055462708, 017745705 – 6 (Lagos only).

Best regards,

Security

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Ritualists behead boy after disguising as pregnant women and forcing parents to sacrifice son at gun point.

It has come to a point where everyone must mind their business to the detriment of those who need help, including pregnant women. A family was traveling on one of our highways when they saw a pregnant woman (ritualist in disguise) crying for help as supposedly in labor pains. The man driving never wanted to stop as he was not convinced but the wife being a woman that had gone through labor pains before pleaded with her husband to stop and help the so-called pregnant woman.
As soon as they stopped and came out from their car to help this ritualist in pregnant woman’s form, little did they
know that was going to be the beginning of sorrows in their Home. When they reached out to help this So-call woman, some fellows just came out from the bush and made a painful offer to them: They either give up one of their children or they will all be killed!!!

This family supposing these fellows to be gang of kidnappers agreed to give them one of their children (a boy) thinking they will soon ask for a ransom on the boy but never knew they have just offered their son for sacrifice to the ritualists.. The poor boy was asking the parents – “Daddy & Mummy why me??????????”.LagosMet.com

They were asked to go and they started their car and zoomed off and just few minutes from the scene of this horror, they met some policemen and narrated their ordeal to them and the Police decided to go back with them to see whether they will see anything there, only for them to meet the headless dead Body of their SON with fresh blood gushing out like water with no trace of these evil people!!!!!!!!!!!

Will this mother ever forgive herself for urging her Husband to stop and help?????????????? Will this family ever be the same again???????????????????

Please send this to all your friends especially people who travel at night. It is unfortunate that people who now need help will not get it as the bad eggs have mingled with the good ones and are destroying the country with their evil intentions.

MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!

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Kidnapping is the next big thing after Yahoozee

Tips on Avoiding Kidnappers and Ritualists

I told you back then, that Kidnapping was one of the highest paying non-white collar job. As employers cut costs and lay people off, trying to play smart, criminals have also returned to the drawing board, carving out schooled tactics (tricks) borne out of survival instincts… to make money at all cost! Comedy, Music, and Theatre art courses are sold out in institutions today but I’m seriously holding out for a course on Kidnapping, since it’s the next big thing after 419 Scamming. I received this mail from a friend and will encourage you to pass on to friends and loved ones. Don’t let greed get the best of you. I don’t pray to lose anyone right now, cos to be frank with you, I can’t even get a puppy out of their jail. Listen to me now or deal with them O.Y.O. (on your own). Remember, only the living can take decisions.

Dear All,
A new modus operandi is currently being used by kidnappers to lure unsuspecting victims to their hideout, usually an office-like apartment. This new trend has made it easy and less risky for the kidnappers as they don’t have to fire gun shots in the air to scare people or face risk of Police intervention at the point of kidnap.

First they will study you, your kind of business, your household and other activities, laying more emphasis on the kind of job you do and also good knowledge of your interests. They will of course have your full contact details. When they have all these information, they will put a call to you, claiming to offer you a business deal or to offer you something you have planned to have or buy. When they have convinced you, they will ask you to meet them at an agreed location where they will explain further, show you or deliver the expectant goods to you. The location they refer to is their hideout for kidnap victims and from there they will transfer their victims at gun point to other locations.

This is the current trend in Lagos and other cities in Nigeria and all of us should be very cautious of this. This has happened to a lot of business men and unsuspecting corporate staff and is still happening. This new trend makes it very difficult to trace the victims’ whereabouts as they (victims) tend to keep the business deal to themselves until after it has been concluded.

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES:
1). Do not disclose information concerning your self/family/business to every one you come in contact with. Limit information about yourself and nature of work to only those you trust.
2). Do not disclose personal/official intended project plans to every one or discuss it in public places.
3). On receipt of such calls, and they want you to meet them, play along with them and request them to meet you instead – Decide the venue of the meeting…
4). Don’t be in a hurry to end the telephone conversation as they will be ready to continue to try to convince you. Get a second person around you to know what is going on and quickly alert the Police.
5) Do not leave minors unattended or alone at home.
6). Above all, if you are in doubt, end the conversation by saying “thank you, I am not interested”.

Please share this information with your staff, families,house-helps, drivers and well wishers.

Please pass this information to your family & friends.

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LagosMet Rainy Season: My do’s and don’ts for motorists and passengers.

I sincerely hope this is the final year Lagos would have to go without drainage. I don’t mean drainage in Ikeja or Lagos Island alone, I mean all over the state cos we all pay tax and this flood thingy is making the whole of Lagos look like

A lawyer's view of flooded Orile

Governor Raji Fashola (Pol Party: Action Congress AC) has done nothing. The Governor has tried his best, we know the power issue is beyond him but he can do much better in terms of security and drainage.

(Kindly include the link to this page if you intend to copy and paste the contents of this page. Please quote the source: http://lagosmet.com/blog/2009/04/lagosmet-rainy-season-my-dos-and-donts-for-motorists-and-passengers/)

I’d been yelling drainage since September last year when I stopped using my very low car, discarded it and got a higher one, a low-class 4 – wheeler (my papa no be politician). Now I can sing “because he lives… I can FACE tomorrow”. Tomorrow as in Lagos floods, nothing more to it. If I can swap minds with fellow readers, those with low cars, e.g. Old Accord, Mini, Bug, Picanto, QQ, I10, Celica, Legend and Previa, e.t.c. are already cursing their luck. Sorry, so goes the saying “save for the rainy day”. Now it’s raining, look outside your window, you see it drizzling, yeah, out there, it doesn’t reflect anything drizzling at all, it in fact paints the picture of the aftermath of a Tsunami. I’ve been avoiding blogging for some days now cos it takes me at least 4 hours to come up with something and I have a whole lot on my neck, I’m not so into coffee and this cold brings with it the lure of sleep… (you all are happy today’s a public holiday aint ya?). For this reason, I’ll keep facts, pictures and sturvs for some other time and go straight to the point. As usual, just my 2 cents, you don’t have to agree with me 100% but to those who have ears…

It’s Rainy Season, what do you do?

Your Umbrella or your life?

1. Buy an umbrella for the car, office, a friend and home.

2. If you haven’t raised your sport car, call your mechanic now

3. Don’t drive while it’s raining or less than 20 minutes after, it takes a while for highway floods to clear.

4. Don’t venture into roads you less frequently used (during the dry season) as floods make it difficult to differentiate pot holes from “gutters” and “canals”.

5. If you must drive while it’s drizzling or raining, turn your headlamps on and your emergency lamps too. Also, avoid depending on horns alone, while you honk, flass your full lights as well since most windows are wound up and A/Cs on in other to clear the windscreen of most cars. Some even tune up their radios for situation reports, coupled with the deafening sound of the rain and thunder outside, your horn alone is less than likely to pass the message across. Use your hazard lights and flash your full lights.

6. Avoid unnecessary overtaking. Everyone’s trying to avoid water clogged areas and also splashing water on pedestrians.

7. Trust your instincts, if it looks like your car won’t make it, then don’t take it. I mean don’t risk it, it’s never too late to turn back when your rear is clear. Once other cars join you there, you have little option than to be compelled to MOVE into the danger zone, and glory be to God if you (your car) survive. http://lagosmet.com/blog/2009/04/lagosmet-rainy-season-my-dos-and-donts-for-motorists-and-passengers/

8. Avoid reversing unnecessarily, it is against the law to face oncoming traffic (one-way) but in this period, you just can’t help it. Better to face oncoming traffic than to do a reverse. It is very dangerous, especially due to poor visibility. Poor visibility contributes 85% to most road accidents when it’s raining as some people don’t even have wipers, some don’t have A/Cs to clear the fog on the windscreen, some are hydrophobic and they just ram into you, then you try to step out and realise you are in the middle of the River Niger, you need the back of a tout to make it to the other side where you would only be drowned halfway.

9. If you can, avoid service lanes and generally the lower ends of unlevelled roads as they hold more water. Service Lanes hold deadly pot holes (especially along Ikorodu road up to Ketu). If you are not driving an LR4, and you can do without service lanes, please do. Palmgrove, Onipanu, Ojota, Ajah and some places in Victoria Island are Bermudas Triangles you don’t want to find yourself in.

He that is "drowned" needs fear no "flood"

10. Follow the leader, and give him some distance. Taxis (yellow and black) know the bad places in Lagos, they know the roads like you know the buttons of your mobile phone. Follow someone who has a flood navigator (don’t follow okadas or LR4’s, follow car for car or SUV for SUV, not Trailer for Cooper).

11. Have some airtime on your phone.

12. Service your car, fix your horn, tyres, winders, heaters, A/C, fog lamps, trafficators, and everything fixable. Believe you me, no one will stop for you when it’s pouring heavily. When it’s pouring, you don’t see the police and that’s when men of the underworld rush out en-masse, you make their work easier for them when your car breaks down for any reason, even a flat tyre.

13. Don’t drive alone but avoid picking unknown persons up. When it rains, it is assumed that all cars have tinted glasses and no one can see someone pointing weapons at you right in your car, and even if they do, they look for an exit and drive off, leaving you to your fate. Be very careful. Lock your doors.

14. Drive slowly, you have no choice. Tyre skid, brakes fail and cars stop suddenly when it pours, so be prepared to gently apply (not slam) your brakes. Traffic is bound to be heavier than on normal days so leave home some 30 minutes earlier than usual, but not too early. In fact don’t leave home while it’s dark as floods will force you to drive slowly or even stop and that’s when “our friends” can make a run at you. You will also notice that colleagues get to work/meetings later than they used to.

15. Ensure you have a fair amount of gas (sorry, petrol) in your tank. Rain-induced traffic are 69% heavier.

http://lagosmet.com/blog/2009/04/lagosmet-rainy-season-my-dos-and-donts-for-motorists-and-passengers/

As for Pedestrians, you know the rules already.

BIS under siege sometime ago

1. Umbrella

2. Nylon cover, shower caps, or raincoat, umbrellas can’t withstand strong winds.

3. Rain boots (keep a spare pair of shoes in the office and trouser/skirt too). Rubber shoes are on sale now (Max: 400 naira.). Sometimes NEPA/PHCN poles bow to the winds and live power cables/wires find their way into the stagnant waters creating death traps for innocent pedestrians. I’d say rubber boots are essentials.

4. Use the BRT (thank God LAGBUS have resumed operation), if you feel that friend’s rickety car might nor make it, or that your car is not in the best rain condition

5. Have airtime on your line, call your superior if traffic is hell.

6. Avoid carrying laptops and other bulky electronics that won’t fit in beneath the raincoat.

7. Keep yourself warm

8. Carry a 50cl bottle of water, to wash your feet when you reach your destination.

9. Don’t forget to pick your umbrella after leaving it out to dry…

10. Don’t walk in the path of motorists, especially in the clear paths as motorists desperately try to avoid water and have poorer visibility seeing through water clogged screens. You are more likely to get hit by a hit and run driver in this period. http://lagosmet.com/blog/2009/04/lagosmet-rainy-season-my-dos-and-donts-for-motorists-and-passengers/

11. Do not back traffic; face on coming traffic and always be prepared to dive. Don’t cuss the driver or the governor when it does happen.

12. Relocate if you can, closer to the office or your business. As bus fares skyrocket (even BRT and LAGBUS increased fares), you will find it cheaper to stay closer to your source of income.

13. Take your leave. We usually have one or two 3-day non stop rain and 7-day non stop drizzling, I can’t think of a better time to take your leave than then. I just hate traffic.

14. Not a good time to pay friends a visit. In fact, Churches will see a decrease in the congregation size too. Do not promise to visit friends at this point in time, and don’t pay surprise visits as your hosts may be 3 hours away in traffic or trying to pull their car our of the canal.

15. Be careful where you put your legs into. Some stagnant waters house various pests and diseases, and some “small” waters can mask deep gutters and sharp objects. Do not be tempted to take off your shoes unless you know the road so well. It is always safer to turn back.

16. Finally, if you can’t “enter” the rain, then wait in a safe place, there is no shame in doing so, but it is sometimes dangerous. Watch where, who and for how long you do. My advice, don’t stay behind for too long, move as soon as the rain subsides.

Eh, 2 hours gone already! I got work to do guys, you can help with the ones I missed out on. I wish you all the best. You can send me pictures and stories of floods in your area and I will do well to post them here, of course with your name on it, if you don’t mind.

Safety first, no regrets. Happy Easter.

All rights reserved, Christino Xsi Penthome, 2009.

If you enjoyed reading this, please refer this page to a friend.

Link to this page: http://lagosmet.com/blog/2009/04/lagosmet-rainy-season-my-dos-and-donts-for-motorists-and-passengers/

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Would you rather have the Cedes

LAGOS, Corporate Corruption: Wonder why the naira has struggled to make an impact against the dollar? In the news today, the EFCC has moved to arrest all the Diamond Bank Managers involved in the International Passport – visa dollar fraud. Since banks are supplied hard dollars from CBN to be sold to people with Valid Visas and tickets, some Bank Managers used this opportunity to their advantage. These managers make photocopies of these documents to back up such transactions (they were reportedly apprehended with a couple of fake and original passports in their possession) and then sell the dollars at killer rate to the Black Marketers. The dollar which sold at 202 naira sometime in March had risen against the naira due to high demand resulting from artificial scarcity of the dollar in banks.

EFCC arrests Diamond Bank Managers over dollar fraud

It is worth noting that this could mark the end of the careers of these managers, at least in the Banking Industry. Hopefully, this development should strike fear into the minds of defaulters and we can start to dream of 120 naira to a dollar again. Maybe I can comfortably return to school, and prices of inflated items can fall (na dream?)

What determines the naira-dollar exchange rate?

Why’s the naira so weak against the dollar?

Ps: The second part of the Lagos Traffic Laws will be out unfailingly today.

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Awolowo - Falomo Bridge

Lagos has been at a standstill all day and heavy traffic starting from Bonny camp has spread to Ojodu Berger and beyond. People spent an average of 4:30 hours from the mainland to the Island. If you have any plan to visit Victoria Island today, the best thing to do is to cancel it. I feel sorry for people who are stuck in that traffic with Manual gears and without A/C or with 10 litres of fuel. Believe me, you don’t want to be caught in that traffic by sunset when armed robbers and mobile phone agents are likely to take undue advantage of the unfortunate incidence.

Why the gridlock? A dead container trailer blocked the road to Bonny camp completely, such that even Okadas cannot squeeze into the tiny space leaving the whole of Lagos no other choice than to go through Falomo bridge, the second of three land ways to get into V.I. (The third option is the Ikorodu-Epe expressway). As a result, traffic from the third mainland bridge and Western Avenue all explore means to get to Falomo bridge either through Awolowo Road or Osbourne/Kingsway.

Zoom in on Awolowo Road

I don’t even want to think about the amount of man-hours or fuel burnt in traffic, I just know the State Government will come up with a law limiting trailers henceforth. For the sake of one man, Lagos suffered terribly on a Friday. Thank God it’s Friday!

Going home? Well, I’ll let you know how it is, that’s if people have not explored the unlawful one-way option, thereby blocking all incoming routes. As for me, I’m not leaving the Island until 9:45pm, or better still 11:00pm. Don’t wait for me though, cos I can as well crash somewhere on the Island… or in the car.

Enjoy your weekend.

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Mouth-to-mouth… Please pass this on…

Return of the Robbers

DEAR ALL,
We received the message below from a friend of the Bank and hastened to share with all staff and friends. Kindly read and make use of the relevant information contained herein:
As you are probably aware, the spate of criminality in Lagos in the last few days has reached an alarming stage in which all staff resident in these areas need to exercise extra caution in carrying out their daily and nightly choirs. This is rampant in VI, LEKKI, ILUPEJU, IKEJA, AIRPORT ROADS & IKOYI in recent days.

MODUS OPERANDI.

Armed robbers mostly in their youth of ages ranging from 17yrs to 24yrs have been noticed to be the culprits. In the most recent cases, five different techniques have been adopted.
1.        They ride in Okada and are mostly three in numbers or in convoy of two motorbikes carrying one or two persons on each motor bike. They usually target their victims and follow them closely while the person is heading home both during the day and at night, sometimes to office.
2.        On the road while driving, they follow their target closely knowing pretty well that he/she might stop to buy some things while the traffic is slow or change the lane. In that case they will block their victim and one of them will Flash a fake identity card claiming to be a security agent and once he gains entrance into your car he points his pistol at you and commands you to drive him straight to your house or remote hidden unknown hotel under gun point , then either rob or ask for ransom, (It could be worse if wife or female teenager are at home).
3.        They also pretend to be hawkers of recharge cards on the road. They carry used and unused recharge cards and an unsuspecting person who winds down car glasses to make a purchase especially at night falls victim to them and they will attack the person and dispossess him/her of his/her valuables and if the person is unlucky they might injure him/her.
4.        It has also been noticed that most of these Armed robbers who use these Motorbikes use illegal motor bike repair spots especially within Lekki and Osborne road area as a base to watch out for their unsuspecting victims.
5.        The most recent method adopted by these robbers is to throw old used tyres on approaching vehicles or use these tyres to narrow the road so that motorist will slow down. They sometimes cross in front of car while others stand at a clear distanced observing then attack.
6.        Young attractive girls, as early as 6 am or on Sunday or holidays afternoon turn up at your door bells and pretend to have message from your house help or seeking neighbours address and gain entry to your door, suddenly go naked and shout for help and before you know it, her accompanied armed boys are on you, even some times fake police.
PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES.
The following are tips to exercise caution in this kind of situations
1.        Be vigilant at all times while driving and ensure that your doors are firmly locked while you are inside.
2.        Buy your recharge cards while you are in the office or at home and avoid buying things in traffic, it has become very costly to do that.
3.        Before you branch off to your gate at night watch carefully through your side/inner mirrors and if possible contact your security personnel in your house or any of your family member …to let them know that you are on your way home.
4.        If you notice any unusual gathering of Motorbikes around your neighborhood probably as motorbike repair spots kindly report to the nearest Police station.
5.        While driving to work early in the morning, control your speed and always look ahead of you and if you’re being driven by a driver advice him accordingly and also watch out as well.
6.        In case you are being accosted by these evil men, don’t panic, don’t move your hands unless they asked you to do so, be calm and leave your engine running unless advised otherwise.
7.        Signal your family or security in a coded manner but unnoticed by the devil so they take precautionary measure.
8.        Do not exchange foreign currency in your office to the knowledge of any one or at your residence in presence of house help/ driver or security.
Do not announce your foreign travel or holiday to your house help or driver before two or 3hrs of journey time. Driver and cook have sent armed robbers to their masters. A case at hand is one executive of a Bank who travelled to the UK on 19th Sept. The house help cleared the house before his return.
9.        Pray, pray, pray.

Eko o ni baje o!

Kudos to whoever compiled this.

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Commuters from the Island towards Iyana Oworo should avoid the Third Mainland Bridge (3MB) for now and hit alternative routes such as Apongbon – CMS or Adekunle-Yaba. Pedestrians can ferry across to Apapa. It is logical to avoid BRT buses plying the 3MB for now. Traffic is at it’s heaviest right now as the accident was reported around 2pm. This comes as no good news for football lovers who need to get home on time to secure fuel for their generating sets. If your fuel gauge reports low, just don’t hit the bridge without stopping at the gas station.

See you tomorrow

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