Quiet environments can be dangerous!

In 2018, my colleague bought a Honda Accord car from her savings, and unfortunately, it was a popular area for crimes and cultism because of the students living there. The hoodlums had initially stolen the car battery, and when they noticed she was able to move the car about (even though she usually removed the new battery every night and kept it in the house), they eventually brought the car battery and stole the car. Not long after, she had to relocate out of the vicinity. This reflects the importance of living in a safe and relatively calm environment.

Ilorin in Kwara State is relatively calm as regards vices and crimes; nonetheless, there are pockets of crimes that oftentimes do not reach the media. I stay in an area that is relatively quiet both during the day and at night. My street junction actually bubbles at night due to a particular hotel there. Now I can actually count at least five hotels in the area where I reside. The small hotel at my house's junction is the bubbling place. At night, the seductive sisters strategically position themselves as commercial sex workers (CSW), and a few times, some guys could be seen lurking around. My area also has a local food joint popularly known as "Amala Place," and the customers patronize it both during the day and night. There are some nights that you can hear some loud bangs of music emanating from the hotel at my street junction. I have seen security agents around there once or twice, but not for any significant raids.

My girlfriend had once stated that some men had accosted her at that junction, and she had to increase the pace at which she walked. My streets could be lonely as they are in a government-reserved area (GRA) setting with a pocket of highly placed people, such as a former Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), even though the uniformed police I see guarding his house are few. Most houses here engage gatemen who are mostly from the north, and even though my compound with four flats does not have a gateman, it is satisfying to see the gatemen of other houses hanging around. This gives some sense of partial security to both the house and the environment.

There is an estate that is also not too far from my house; the caliber of people living there is termed "wealthy," and about two months ago, my boss at work who lives in that estate was robbed of some belongings. I was surprised to hear that since I know most houses have security guards, and some even have uniformed men. I would still term my area as one with few reported incidents of crime. A neighbor of mine told me, however, that there are many unreported crimes in Ilorin, and he has been very cautious to ensure the gate is locked around 10 p.m.

Having a quiet environment does not encourage me to walk around at night, and I’m equally not the type to do so. Despite not having news of crimes in my area, this does not prevent caution against such crimes.

Thank you for reading. I would love your comments and contributions.

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