A journalist, Efe Onodjae, was reportedly attacked, extorted and held against his will by a group of men, some dressed in what appeared to be Lagos State Task Force uniforms, while driving through the Mile 2 Bridge area of Lagos.
The incident occurred at about 7:30pm on Tuesday as Onodjae, who had just left work and was heading home, drove a silver 2011 Toyota Camry through the heavily congested bridge.
According to the journalist, the men approached his vehicle amid the traffic, climbed onto the car and demanded money before allegedly damaging parts of the vehicle.
Onodjae said the road was severely congested by trucks and other vehicles when he noticed a group of young men moving between motorists.
He said about four of the men suddenly climbed onto the front of his vehicle and began demanding money.
“I was heading towards Mile 2 when I got to the bridge and ran into heavy traffic. The road was congested with several trucks, and vehicles were moving slowly. As I approached the traffic, I noticed a group of young men moving around vehicles. Suddenly, about four of them jumped onto the front of my car. Bring money! Where is the money? Bring money!” he recounted.
Onodjae said some of the men were dressed in clothing resembling uniforms of the Lagos State Task Force, while others were in civilian attire.
He informed them that he had no money, explaining that another group had earlier collected N10,000 from him when he first drove the vehicle to work.
According to him, the men ignored his explanation and demanded N20,000.
“I told them I did not have N20,000. Their response was blunt: that was none of their business,” he said.
The journalist said the confrontation quickly turned violent after he refused to meet their demand, alleging that the men began hitting his vehicle.
“One of them pulled off the driver’s side mirror. Another appeared ready to smash the windscreen,” he said.
Fearing that the situation could worsen, Onodjae said he transferred the N19,000 remaining in his bank account to the group.
However, he alleged that another group of men immediately appeared and demanded their own payment.
“Barely a second later, another group appeared. ‘That is their own. We need our own,’ they said,” he recounted.
Onodjae said he explained that he had no money left, but the second group allegedly threatened to damage his vehicle and ordered him to open the door.
He said three of the men entered the back seat while another entered the front, effectively forcing him to continue driving with four strangers inside his car.
“They demanded more money. I told them I had nothing left in my account.
“They threatened to smash the car and ordered me to keep driving.
“I continued moving slowly with the traffic,” he said.
The journalist said three of his friends later sent him money, with about N5,000 credited to his account.
He informed the men that he had received the money and offered to transfer it to them, but they allegedly refused and instructed him to keep driving.
According to him, one of the men later got out of the vehicle, claiming he wanted to meet another group ahead and inform them that he had already settled the people behind them.
On his return, the man allegedly told Onodjae that he had settled the group ahead and that the journalist was expected to provide about N400,000.
Onodjae said he told them he could not provide such an amount and became increasingly concerned for his safety.
“At that point, I became increasingly convinced that allowing these men to take me further down the road could put my life and property at even greater risk. I feared that they could take my phone, everything I had and possibly even my car,” he said.
The journalist said his escape opportunity came when he noticed a convoy approaching the area, with military personnel apparently controlling traffic around it.
He said he made a desperate decision to drive into the middle of the convoy.
According to him, a military officer became angry and demanded that he clear the road, allegedly cocking his rifle and threatening to shoot him.
“I got out of the car and tried to explain.
“Sir, I am a journalist. There are people in my car attacking me,” he said he told the officer.
Onodjae said the officer initially appeared not to understand what was happening and continued ordering him to move.
He said the men inside his vehicle suddenly opened the doors and fled when they realised the situation had attracted the attention of the military personnel.
“I kept telling him that there were men inside my vehicle.
“That was when the men in the car suddenly opened the doors and jumped out,” he recounted.
Onodjae said he immediately drove away when traffic began moving, following the convoy out of the area.
He said he only fully understood the severity of the incident after reaching safety.
“My car had been damaged. The driver’s side mirror had been ripped off, and the body of the vehicle bore signs of the ordeal,” he said.
Beyond the physical damage to his vehicle, the journalist said the incident left him psychologically shaken.
“For those minutes on the Mile 2 bridge, I was not thinking like a journalist. I was simply a motorist trying to stay alive,” he said.
Onodjae said the men did not appear to be carrying firearms but allegedly had objects capable of causing injury, including a bottle.
He said their threats, the damage to his vehicle and their continued demands for money made him fear that the encounter could have ended fatally.
The journalist described the incident as an indication of the vulnerability of motorists caught in traffic along the Mile 2 axis.
“What happened to me on Tuesday evening was not an isolated inconvenience of traffic.
“It was an experience that exposed the vulnerability of motorists caught in traffic on the Mile 2 axis,” he said.
Onodjae also said he contacted the Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, regarding the incident.
However, he alleged that no response had been received from the police as of the time of filing the report.
The allegations have not been independently verified, while the identities and official status of the men involved remain unclear.
