Anxiety, fear of public buses… How one-chance robbery affects commuters’ mental health

FIJ

Amid the myriad of security challenges bedevilling Nigeria, one-chance robberies seem to have become a part of the daily existence of citizens. One minute your phone is in your bag, and the next, it’s no longer there. Over the years, especially in Lagos State, survivors’ accounts have revealed that these robbers often disguise themselves as commercial bus drivers and conductors in a bid to steal from unsuspecting passengers. Although the media is replete with reports on one-chance robberies, reports seldom capture their impact on the mental health of survivors. In this report, ABIMBOLA ABATTA details the experiences of survivors in Lagos State and how their mental wellbeing took a hit.

No one easily forgets a phone theft, especially in the manner in which it happened to Aisha, a Lagos-based writer. Although it’s been 10 months since one-chance robbers stole her phone with stealth, her narration of the incident made it seem as though it happened just yesterday.

As of March 2023, when the incident happened, Aisha was job-hunting. She told FIJ that she was heading home from a job interview in Gbagada when she entered a one-chance bus. Months after the incident, FIJ learned, Aisha still feels anxious and unsafe whenever she has to take a public bus.