Lagos: Taxify Driver Awaiting Youth Service Loses Sight To Robbers

A man identified as Tomi Waziri, who graduated from the Department of Physics at Kogi State University, has lost his sight to an armed robbery attack while in traffic in the Apongbon area of Lagos.

According to a report, the 27-year-old who was waiting for his call up letter from the National Youth Service Corps for the mandatory one year service had approached his sister’s husband to engage him as a Taxify driver before he is mobilised for the scheme.

Waziri who was conveying a female passenger to the Papa Ajao area of Mushin around 8 pm was shot in the face by the robbers, who took off immediately.

The victim while speaking on the incident said, “I live at No. 35 Daudu Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi. I was robbed in traffic on the Apongbon Bridge, Lagos, on September 12, 2019, by two young men around 8pm. I was a Taxify (now Bolt) driver and I had a female passenger in the car. We were going to Papa Ajao, Mushin.”

“One of the robbers pointed a gun at me; I was about giving him my phone when he shot me in the face and collected the phone. The pellets shattered the window and hit me in my two eyes.”

“The robbers ran away immediately I was shot. My passenger became scared and panicky. The next thing I noticed was that she disembarked from the vehicle and began calling for help as she was running away.”

He noted that the gunshot saw him bleed profusely and he had to come down from the vehicle and shout for help with no help for about five minutes before two policemen showed up.

Waziri noted that the policemen took him to the Military hospital, Yaba, in his vehicle.

He said while one of the policemen drove him to the hospital, the other was busy holding him and saying kind words to him so that he wouldn’t give up.

Waziri added that upon his arrival at the hospital he was given first aid to stabilise my condition.

“I lost vision immediately I was shot. After treatment, it is still the same, we are only hoping for God’s intervention. The vehicle belongs to my sister’s husband. I used to remit money to him pending when I would get the NYSC call-up letter.”

Waziri noted that the doctors at the Eye Foundation, Isaac John Street, Ikeja GRA, told him that if he had been treated earlier, he would have regained sight in his right eye.

He added, “I went for surgery at the Eye Foundation. Before then, I was being treated at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, and I was about to do the surgery at LASUTH, but there were delays there.”

“It was through God’s help that we were able to do it at the Eye Foundation. And when we got there, we were told that if we had come for the surgery earlier, I would have been seeing with at least my right eye. LASUTH was just negligent and wasting time.”

“What the doctors are saying now is that we can only hope for the best; what I know is that there is no vision now.”

Waziri noted that his nose was treated at LASUTH, adding that there were still pellets in his face and two teeth, as there were pellets logged in the gum.

He added that doctors asked for N350,000 to treat his damaged teeth. While speaking on the pellets in his face, he said the doctors advised him that any attempt to remove them would result in more damage, adding that his body would expel them naturally.