Small business owners were thrown into shock and lamentation on Sunday after suspected robbers burgled their shops in Abeokuta.
- +Ogun traders lament losses as burglars raid shops
PUNCH Metro gathered that the affected shops, located on Fajol Street along Obantoko Way, were forcefully broken into in the early hours of the day.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the affected shops, located on Fajol Street along Obantoko Way, were forcefully broken into in the early hours of the day. Some of the shops had only recently suffered losses from a heavy rainstorm that damaged their inventories.
A female shop owner said the burglars made away with her valuables. “They stole my solar panel and all my earrings,” she lamented.
Another victim, identified simply as Ade, who runs a printing press shop, said he lost more than N80,000 in the incident.
“We woke up this morning to discover that our shops had been burgled. There was forced entry into mine, and when I went in, the drawer where I kept my money had been broken, and all the cash I left in it was gone,” he said.
A friend of a shoemaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment, said goods worth over N300,000 were stolen from the shop.
“All the handmade shoes were taken. Everything, worth about N300,000, was carted away — both those on the shelves and in the display cases,” he said.
Speaking on security in the area, another business owner, Rahmon, blamed the incident partly on the absence of a security guard, who reportedly left due to irregular payment by shop owners.
“The security guard left because he was not being paid regularly.
Some shop owners failed to pay as and when due, which affected his wages,” he said.
Rahmon also described the area as unsafe, alleging the presence of suspected miscreants.
“This place has been volatile for a while. You see a lot of hoodlums roaming the streets, some with nothing to do. Some of them gather to smoke Indian hemp. While no one knows exactly who carried out this act, many people suspect hoodlums in the area,” he added.
When contacted on Sunday, the spokesperson for the state police command, Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the police had begun an investigation into the incident.
“We are investigating the incident,” he stated.
The burglary comes less than a week after the command announced the arrest of four suspected robbers in the Ilaro area following complaints from victims on April 16.
The suspects were identified as Samson John (25), Olufowora Michael (28), Odeh Samuel Ejeh (25), and Olajide Jeremiah (28). Police said their arrest followed a complaint lodged at the Ilaro Division on April 16, 2026.
