Woman Alleges Assault By Tout Demanding Money On Lagos Road
A Lagos resident has recounted how she was allegedly assaulted by a suspected tout popularly called agbero along the Ikate axis of the Lekki-Epe corridor, after the tout blocked her car window and demanded money from her.
The woman, in a video shared by X user, #Somto Okonkwo, on Sunday, said the incident occurred as she was driving past a group of touts stationed along the road.
“This is how I got back home. When I was coming back, all these guys that beg on the road, my car window was down, so one of them came; the moment he came, before I could wind up, this guy was already holding the glass, that I could not wind up,” she said.
She said the man demanded money from her, and when she attempted to check for cash to give him, she discovered she had none and the situation escalated into a confrontation.
“He said I should give him money. I said, ‘what money?’ And I was even trying to give him money. I was trying to see if I had cash. When I opened my purse, I saw that I didn’t have cash. That was how this guy hit me on my face,” she said.
According to her, the assailant also tore her clothes during the struggle, an ordeal she said should prompt government intervention against street touts operating on Lagos roads.
“He dragged my clothes, and tore it. Governments really need to do something about those guys on the road. Because of the experience that I have with these people today, I can just imagine how many people are being harassed every day on Lagos roads,” she said.
She said the incident occurred around Ikate, close to a road island on the main road, shortly before a traffic light in the area.
The woman, who displayed visible injuries around her eyes, said she experienced the assault while attempting to drive off as the traffic light turned green.
The incident is part of a growing number of complaints by Lagos motorists over harassment and extortion by street touts, popularly known as Agberos, across various parts of the state.
The Lagos State Police Command had, in an earlier development, arrested six suspects following a viral video showing suspected tout members harassing motorists and attempting to damage a car’s side mirror on a Lagos road.
