BBNaija star Cross says a beggar ripped off his car’s windscreen moulding in Lekki traffic and ran. Here’s what happened and why Lagosians are worried.
Ever been stuck in Lagos traffic and felt a little uneasy when strangers crowd your window? Former Big Brother Naija housemate Cross Okonkwo just lived that nightmare, and he’s not happy about it.
Cross says a street beggar tore the moulding off his car’s windscreen in Ikate, Lekki, then ran away before he could be caught. He shared the whole thing in a series of Instagram videos on Tuesday.
According to Cross, he was in traffic when a few beggars gathered at his window and started talking to him. He didn’t chase them away. Then, out of nowhere, one of them yanked the strip around the windscreen and bolted.
Cross jumped out and ran after him. It didn’t work. “He ran so fast,” he said.
He didn’t stop there. Cross went back with some men to search for the guy and even spoke to a group of Agberos, who asked him to leave his number in case they spotted the man. Later, he actually saw the suspect across the road. But the man recognised him and took off again.
You could hear the hurt in his words. “I feel so pained. My body is boiling,” he said. He also asked why the Federal Government lets such people roam the streets, adding, “Nigeria, you’re not safe in your own country.”
Here’s the thing. This isn’t a one-off.
Earlier this week, a woman driving a Mercedes-Benz in Lekki said a three-man gang pulled a chrome strip off her car around 9 pm while traffic stood still. She put its value at ₦300,000. She added that the group then took phones and other belongings from motorists in the cars behind her.
It was her second time, too. She said the logo on her G-Wagon had been stolen the same way before
Complaints about people posing as beggars along the Lekki and Ajah corridor have been around for years. Back in August 2021, Lagos police announced a 24-hour stop-and-search operation in the area over robbers disguising themselves as beggars. The state government also said it had set up a special team with the police to tackle street begging.
Yet here we are again, with another car damaged in the same traffic.
For many Lagos drivers, this story feels painfully familiar. Cross just happens to be famous enough that more people are paying attention. Maybe this time the conversation will lead to something more than angry videos and sad faces.
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