Lagos's Area Boys Demand Money from Doctors and Filmmakers
You might think that the streets of Lagos are chaotic enough without the added threat of extortion. But for doctors and filmmakers like Olusina Ajidahun and ThankGod Omori, that's exactly what they face every time they step out to do their jobs.
Ajidahun, an internal medicine specialist known on social media as The Bearded Sina, told a harrowing story of how his free medical outreach in Mushin was besieged by area boys demanding money and threatening to cause pandemonium if they weren't settled. According to him, the tout who approached him was a man with blue-stained lips and tongue, unkempt hair, tattoos all over his body, and smelling of tobacco mixed with cannabis.
He had blue lips and blue tongue stained from substances, he looked unkempt, had tattoos all over him. He was smelling of tobacco mixed with heavy cannabis. His bloodshot red eyes stared at me. He asked again with his heavy, hoarse voice… Oga Doctor, drop something for boys.”
Ajidahun said he replied that he had no money on him, in line with instructions that outreach members should not carry cash or valuables into the area. The tout simply waved his fingers, and moments later, a younger boy produced a slip of paper with an account number, which Ajidahun said he transferred money to.
The account is not the only shocking thing - the tout had painted fingernails, waist beads, and what appeared to be panty lines beneath his clothing, with his trousers held up by a rope rather than a belt.
In another instance, the popular music video director ThankGod Omori said a night shoot in Ikoyi was disrupted at about 3am by a crowd of touts who gathered outside the location screaming, “TG Omori you go show us love before you comot for here.”
His assistant directors and security were left to fend off the touts, resulting in a broken gate and an injured security guard who had refused them entry. Omori said that such encounters have made it increasingly difficult for filmmakers to shoot on location anywhere in Lagos, forcing many productions indoors despite the higher cost of building sets and paying visual effects artists to recreate scenes that could ordinarily be shot on the street.
Mind you, we pay for locations and settle every necessary people. Still bring in heavy security personnel, but it’s still always total chaos. Crews under pressure from thugs “chanting your name” often rush through shoots and go home “with almost nothing after wasting millions on rentals, crew and cast.”
Lagos's Area Boys Problem Spreads
The accounts add to a growing list of complaints by professionals, entertainers and businesses over extortion by area boys in Lagos. Bimbo Ademoye, a popular Nollywood actress and producer, was similarly confronted by touts demanding a settlement while shooting on a Lagos street, an incident that drew renewed calls on the state government to curb the menace.
Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources Tokunbo Wahab said the state government had continued to arrest and dislodge street urchins across the state, but that cash handouts from celebrities, influencers and members of the public were undermining those efforts by encouraging the touts to view the streets as a lucrative source of livelihood and breeding a sense of entitlement among them.
He called for collective responsibility and cooperation from the public to build a safer and more orderly Lagos.
It's time we take back our public spaces without giving in to these criminals and their demands,
he said. The incident has sparked widespread outrage on social media with many calling for a more aggressive approach to handling these types of situations.
The Lagos State Government Must Act Faster
Lagos is known for its vibrant and thriving culture, but the presence of area boys has created a sense of insecurity among residents. The fact that doctors and filmmakers are being extorted on the streets is a clear indication that the situation has reached a critical point.
The Lagos State Government must take immediate action to address this issue. This includes providing adequate security to protect citizens and businesses from these thugs and implementing strict measures to prevent them from operating in the first place.