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Commuters wait for taxis in Abuja, Nigeria, where many residents have fallen victim to ‘one chance’ robberies. Credit: Promise Eze/IPSABUJA, March 9 (IPS) - Abimbola David still remembers being robbed twice in taxis in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. The most recent incident occurred in 2023 when the robbers, who pretended to be passengers, took her belongings while the car was moving.
This type of crime is common in Abuja and other major cities in Nigeria. It is known locally as “one-chance”. It has become one of the most frightening security problems in the West African country. Criminals pretend to be taxi drivers or passengers to trick unsuspecting people.
David told IPS that she believes the crime thrives because of the lack of a well-structured, government-regulated public transport system. Many residents rely on unmarked, privately run taxis and minibuses, making it easy for robbers to operate.
“Not everyone can afford safer transport options like ride-hailing apps. That is why many people still fall victim to these robberies,” David said, recalling that a friend was recently a victim.
While David was fortunate to survive the robberies, many other victims have not been as lucky. Some people, including foreigners, have been killed in similar incidents.
New cases are frequently reported in the news or spread quickly on social media. While official data on one-chance incidents in Nigeria is lacking, a report indicates that more than 100 cases have been recorded since 2015.
However, experts and victims told IPS that the actual figure may be higher, as many incidents go unreported and are not investigated by the police.
In January 2026, one-chance robbers killed a nurse and a lawyer in Abuja after they boarded commercial vehicles. Their bodies were later found dumped by the roadside.
A foreign national, Freda Arnong, a staff member of the Ghana High Commission in Abuja, was also among recent victims.
She died after being attacked by suspected one-chance robbers late one evening last year. She was left by the roadside, later succumbing to her injuries.
Families of victims say the police often demand payments to cover the running costs of investigations, a practice that is illegal. Lack of trust in the police sometimes leads to jungle justice when suspected one-chance robbers are caught by the public.
Experts told IPS that illegal parks, failure to properly vet commercial drivers, and unregulated vehicles are some of the root causes of the problem. They also blame poor urban planning as a contributing factor to one-chance robberies in the country.
“What happens is that anybody with a vehicle can pick up passengers, which exposes them to the risk of one-chance robbery,” said Sonia Ugwunna, an urban infrastructure planning expert. “In developed countries, drivers are properly registered. You have their details; they have assigned schedules and designated bus routes, which means they can be tracked.”
She added that in some countries, vehicles are fitted with surveillance systems such as CCTV and dashcams, making public transport safer and easier to monitor.
Ugwunna highlighted that the public transportation system in cities like Abuja has not kept up with urban growth. As more people commute daily from suburban areas to the city centre, buses are often incomplete or insufficient, creating gaps that criminals exploit, particularly during rush hour.
Abba Yusuf, an urban planner, speaking with IPS, emphasised the need for infrastructural improvements to help curb the menace. He suggested installing surveillance cameras on major streets, equipping vehicles with GPS to track movements, and maintaining functional streetlights, which is common in many African cities, to significantly reduce robberies.
He also recommended establishing government-designated motor parks closer to residential areas to prevent people from becoming easy targets for taxi robbers picking up passengers by the roadside.
The government has attempted to build bus terminals to address taxi robberies, but many have remained unused and left to deteriorate even after construction, fuelling fears that authorities are unwilling to tackle the problem.
While the problem persists, Phoebe John, a lawyer in Abuja who has also been a victim, said that it is also an offshoot of gender-based violence, as many of the victims are reportedly women.
“Looking at the pattern, it’s clear that women are constantly being targeted. They remain the primary victims of this crime. I know quite a number of women who have been affected like myself. This is clearly a form of gender-based violence,” she told IPS.
Lessons From Other African Countries
Observers suggest that Nigeria could benefit from strategies implemented in other African nations, such as Rwanda, which has bus parks that promise increased passenger security through surveillance systems and where operators must obtain a licence to provide public transport services.
In South Africa, public buses have specified routes and schedules as part of efforts to create safer, regulated city bus systems, although most commuters use the minibus system, which is largely unregulated.
For David, who is still traumatised by her experience, adopting similar measures in Nigeria could help curb robberies and enhance the overall security of urban transport networks.
“There have been protests to draw the government’s attention to the problem, yet it continues. I believe that if we had intra-city subway trains, there would be less reliance on public vehicles, which could help reduce these robberies,” she said.
IPS UN Bureau Report
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