Security personnel have been overwhelmed in densely populated Lagos.
The security alert notes that there has been "a notable increase in crime in Lagos. Reports of robberies/smash-and-grabs on the roads by armed men have increased significantly on both Ikoyi and Victoria Island.
"Typically, men on a motorcycle will follow a vehicle until it stops at a traffic light or intersection then approach the vehicle, present a weapon, and rob the occupants.
"Although most of these incidents happen at night, the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos has received reports of robberies taking place during daylight hours."
Among other precautions, the embassy has asked U.S citizens in Lagos to keep a low profile, keep vehicle doors locked and windows rolled up at all times while driving--especially in traffic jams or at traffic lights, avoid driving alone at night, not to stop to help strangers on the road, ensure that valuables such as cash, laptops, phones, cameras, bags, etc. are kept out of sight, review and alter travel routes and times to reduce predictability, and to park vehicle in areas that are well lit.
Densely populated Lagos is experiencing heightened insecurity in the highbrow, moneyed Island neighborhoods and on the mainland suburbs.
Traffic robberies are commonplace on poorly lit, pothole-riddled roads at night time in a typically chaotic city.
During the day, street urchins and miscreants who are popularly referred to as 'Area Boys', take advantage of a perennial bedlam in the city to fleece motorists of cash and gadgets at gunpoint, and constitute a menace all year long as traffic snarls in sizzling temperatures.
