UNILAG Student Recounts Ordeal as Suspected Robbers Steal Phone, Laptop and Allegedly Threatened With Death in Lagos

300-level student of the University of Lagos, Oriji Perfection, has recounted how two suspected armed robbers allegedly threatened to kill him and falsely portray him as a cultist during an attack in Gbagada, Lagos State.

Perfection, who was undertaking his Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme programme in Ikeja, said the incident occurred between 3pm and 4pm on Monday, October 12, 2026.

According to him, he had alighted from a commercial bus and was walking along a connecting route off New Garage, shortly before Bokku Mart, towards Diya Street in Iyana Oworo when the men confronted him.

He said one carried a gun and the other a knife. They allegedly ordered him to keep walking normally and warned him against attracting attention.

The student said the men demanded his phone, instructed him to unlock it and disclose his password, before searching his bag and taking his laptop.

“They also said they could kill me and tell anyone who asked that I was a cultist who had killed their friend, and that they had come to avenge his death,” he recounted.

Perfection alleged that one of the men struck him in the mouth while ordering him to continue walking. He said he complied because he feared resistance could provoke them into using their weapons.

Although small shops were nearby, he said nobody intervened. It was unclear whether people in the vicinity recognised that a robbery was taking place.

The encounter lasted approximately five to seven minutes, according to the student. He said the assailants subsequently ordered him to walk away without looking back.

The stolen items were an Infinix Note 40 mobile phone and an HP Stream 11 laptop, which he estimated had a combined purchase value of about ₦350,000.

After reaching safety, Perfection went to his elder sister’s nearby workplace. He said he did not immediately report the incident to a security agency because he was in shock, although he and his sister later informed local vigilantes.

Concerned about access to his personal information, he said he used his sister’s phone to secure his online accounts and initiated a remote factory reset of the stolen phone through Google. The account provided does not establish whether the reset was completed.

Perfection said the experience affected his appetite and sleep in the following days, but support from relatives helped him cope.

He added that he had since avoided the route and now preferred more open and busy roads, even when they made his journeys longer.

The student appealed to security agencies to investigate robberies in the area and strengthen protection for commuters.

The report is based on Perfection’s account. No police response or confirmation of arrests was included in the information provided.