10 Dangerous Places to Live in Lagos State (2024)
Last updated on May 17th, 2024 at 10:37 am
Lagos is Nigeria’s most populous state, with a population of about 20 million people. Most of these people come to the city to hustle and look for better opportunities.
Because the city is densely populated, and the number of available employment does not keep pace with the rising number of unemployed individuals. Unemployment inevitably leads to crime and instability as a result.
Lagos has been classified as the most dangerous city to live in, according to The Cable. Even if the statistics and facts are only partially correct.
But, before we get into the details, let’s have a look at the top ten most dangerous neighborhoods in Lagos.
TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS AREAS IN LAGOS STATE TO LIVE IN
Most newcomers to the city may wonder where the risky areas in Lagos are located. The answer to the above question is not improbable.
The ten most unsafe neighborhoods in Lagos to avoid or live in are shown below.
AJEGUNLE AND OLODI-APAPA (APAPA)
Apapa is one of the Lagos state locations with ports and terminals. Ajegunle, on the other hand, is a well-known neighbourhood in Apapa that is recognized for producing entertainment celebrities.
Ajegunle has been described as a “ghetto paradise” where crime abounds. Supremacy fights between various cult organizations are a common occurrence in the area. The most distressing is the growing number of youngsters who have gone missing. Many people in the neighborhood are to blame for the crime.
ANIBABA AND ITU NLA (IKORODU)
Ikorodu had been classified as one of Lagos State’s most notorious neighbourhoods. For men from the underworld, rapists, and kidnappers, this neighborhood is a prime target. However, Anibaba and Itu Nla are two areas in Ikorodu that are particularly vulnerable. Cultists are said to have recently killed a couple and others in Ikorodu.
The two places are known to be notorious for cult confrontations that result in death. The shooters, who are actually cults, are generally involved in supremacy wars, infiltrating these places at will and killing their own opponents.
OJELADE AND OJU IRIN (MUSHIN)
Mushin’s fame began in 1980 and continues to this day. Mushin has never changed for the better, and it is still one of Lagos’ top ten most risky areas. Cult disputes have caused violence in the area, particularly in Mushin’s Ojelade and Oju Irin districts.
In most situations, cults will wreak havoc on communities at their leisure. Cudgels, cutlasses, and broken bottles will be used by the cultures during an operation.
OSHODI
Oshodi was formerly a rural area, but it is rapidly evolving into a sophisticated metropolis. It’s a place where well-organized thuggery, pickpocketing, armed robbery, bullying, and a variety of other crimes thrive. In the afternoons, Oshodi is secure, but in the early mornings and late at night, it can be deadly. Also, the head of touts of the state, also resides in this dangerous area.
Oshodi has a legend that never seems to go away. Its name has come to inspire fear – even after the popular renovation and rehabilitation carried out there by the past governor of the State, Babatunde Raji Fashola. Oshodi seems to be returning to its former terrible state, stories have begun to resurface of handbag-snatching, extortion, robbery and other such vices –particularly at night. I have even be accosted at day, around the rail way area, but for my vigilance I was able to escape unhurt…..thanks to daylight.
Oshodi Heritage Park, the railway area, down to Bolade bus stop, the top of Oshodi bridge down to Charity bus stop should be greatly avoided at night. Oshodi is touted as the most dangerous place in Lagos.
ODUNFA AND ONALA (LAGOS ISLAND)
Violent crimes are reported to be a distinctive feature in Lagos state, particularly in Odunfa and Onala (Lagos Island). As a result, criminality on the overcrowded mainland has increased, handlooms have expanded, and Lagos Island is on tenterhooks as well. These two areas, Odunfa and Onala, have long been regarded as outliers in terms of criminal activity.
ORACLE AND PAPA (AGEGE)
Some of the most notorious areas in Lagos are located in the Agege local government region, which you should avoid while visiting the city. Papa and Oracle are both located in Agege. In terms of criminal activity, these locations are not lagging behind; in fact, they are among the increasing territory for criminals.
In addition, criminals in these locations committed other acts of violence and criminality. Residents in these regions are living in fear, as drug-addled young people commit crimes without hesitation.
IGANDO
Some of the most dangerous spots to avoid when in Lagos are in the Igando neighborhood. Crime activities have been discovered on Alagbado’s AIT Road and Afolabi’s Obadore, all in Igando, according to an investigation. Cultists have used these locations as battlegrounds in the past, with violent clashes occurring frequently.
Although it is true that citizens of Lagos are struggling with the realities of increasing cultist activity in numerous sections of the state, The police, on the other hand, have stated that the problem of criminal activity in Lagos state may be linked to some stakeholders in the afflicted neighborhoods.
IYANA IPAJA
Iyana Ipaja is an important transit location into Lagos state, as well as a gateway to the settlements of neighboring Ogun state and Lagos. Many bus stops and motor parks can be found here in Iyana Ipaja, which are scattered virtually everywhere. It also has access to routes within and outside of Nigeria.
Iyana Ipaja, in Lagos state, has proven to be one of the state’s most notorious neighborhoods. Alimosho is a local government area in Lagos state that is believed to be the largest.
Iyana-Ipaja is one of the most densely-populated areas in Lagos – whether in the day or at night. It sits between Ikeja (where many people work) and the suburbs of Egbeda, Egbe, and Shasha (where many people live). Residents emphasised the need for passers-by to always hold on to their valuables firmly.
Only weeks ago, members of the Task Force destroyed all the stalls illegally erected along the street and arrested some of the traders. However, a visit to the market on Tuesday revealed that many of the traders had returned.
BARIGA (ILAJE)
Bariga is located in the Lagos state’s Somolu local government region. This place has now devolved into a wasteland. Crimes like as rape and kidnapping, as well as violent cult confrontations, are commonplace here.
Cultists are known to hang out in this area on a regular basis, especially at night. They are dispatched in order to attack unsuspecting ladies, who are then kidnapped and raped.
SHIBIRI (OKOKOMAIKO)
Shibiri is a thickly populated neighborhood in Lagos state’s Okokomaiko. This location is notorious for being a criminal hideaway and recruiting center.
Cults are recruiting young people in this area. Even residents of the region have reported how young people rob unsuspecting and innocent members of the public.
OBALENDE
The large space under the bridge at Obalende is known to be home to different kinds of people. During the day and at night, people are seen there – sleeping, resting, cooking and sometimes, bathing. There is a small pool of dirty water in the middle of this space.
According to residents, some of the boys are known to hang along the bridge in the evenings in the hope that a private vehicle would break down. When this happens, they emerge out of the shadows and either extort money from the driver or attack him or vandalise the car or do whatever else it is, they please.
SHITTA, SURULERE
Shitta is the bus stop under the bridge at Teslim Balogun Stadium at Surulere. One feature that classify Shitta as a dangerous place in Lagos is that, it is a known spot for smokers. Residents say it is to be avoided completely at night – whenever possible.
A resident who works on the Island but lives at Games Village, Surulere, said: “I often pass through Shitta Roundabout on my way back from work. If you are going into Shitta for real, I just think it is safer in the daytime. Thugs and weed aren’t the mix you will want to get yourself in the middle of.”
KETU-ALAPERE/TOLL GATE JUNCTION
This is a junction with a winding road that leads to Ketu, and a straight road that leads to Toll Gate. It is an eerily quiet place, with shades formed by the lush trees all around it. A BRT park can be seen below. Over the other side, a large settlement sits over an expansive area often called “Chinese”.
Crimes as heinous as kidnapping and rape – many of them unreported – are said to be rampant here, according to residents.
THE GANG TERRITORIES
The recent increase in the rate of gang crimes in Lagos poses a great danger. Many of the gang fights have occurred in broad daylight and victims have included innocent passersby.
Among the gang territories are Mushin, Fadeyi, Oworonshoki and parts of Somolu and Bariga.
A resident who narrated an incident that occurred only on Friday last week, during the festivities, right in front of his home at New Garage, Iyana-Oworonshoki:
“We didn’t know what was happening until shops began to close suddenly and people started waiting outside. Then we saw a bunch of hoodlums fighting and one was already beaten and was covered with blood. We saw all of that from behind our windows.
“My brother and I called 767 which is the emergency line, and we were surprised because they came ten minutes later. The police fired a gunshot and the hoodlums ran away; none of them was caught. Sadly someone who was passing by was shot, and was rushed to the hospital. Everything happened between 5.30 and 6.30 pm.”
BOUNDARY, AJEGUNGLE
Boundary Bus Stop is a busy spot located on Bale Street at Ajegunle. It is largely residential, even though many businesses are sited there. It is sandwiched by many equally dense areas: Alaba, Amukoko, Apapa and Ajeromi-Ifelodun.
A resident at Apapa said: “It is a hugely populated area. In the day, it is OK, because there is really nothing anybody can do to you. But at night, it becomes a terrible place. You will notice that people are always in a hurry, because you never know when somebody might attack you or snatch your stuff, and you know that in Lagos, people don’t usually come to your aid quickly when you are in danger.”
Boundary is particularly seen as a haven for young men who are unemployed, and always on the lookout for money and trouble.
BANIRE
Banire is a bus stop just before Egbeda. It is close to Iyana-Ipaja, and is only a few metres away from Gowon Estate.
“That place houses some of the worst guys around Egbeda community,” a resident said. “They smoke weed; they snatch bags, pick pockets. I grew up there.”
high traffic zones
Areas where heavy gridlock occurs, particularly in the evenings, are known to be good spots for a special kind of robbery. Another resident narrated his experience.
“I was on a bus to Iyana-Ipaja, in the middle of a traffic jam. I sat in front, beside the driver. And suddenly somebody from outside snatched my Blackberry and my wallet which I had kept on my laps, and disappeared.”
Some of the places where such incidents occur are Ikeja-Iyana-Ipaja Road, Oshodi-Ikotun Road, and Apapa-Mile 2 Road. Passengers are often advised to keep their valuables in their bags or pockets, especially when they sit close to the window.
BERGER
Berger is a well-known area, and a popular entry point to Lagos State: it is the border town between Lagos and Ogun states. Perhaps the first thing that claims a visitor’s attention is the area’s vastness, with buildings that appear to sit on different layers of land.
Berger is known to be the home of “hustlers”. There are many road transport officials who “lie in wait,” for unwary drivers, especially visitors to Lagos; extortions are made in the name of “Lagos State Traffic Laws”.
Armed robbery is also rampant, as people appear to come from “everywhere and nowhere” all at the same time.
CONCLUSION
Lagos is a very populous metropolitan area, with residents from from all over the country. These people come to Lagos primarily to hustle and look for better opportunities. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of these folks find work in the city. To make a living, a significant number of the others may participate in some unusual activities.
However, every big city has its own downside, and every positive side has a negative side. Night life in Lagos, has been taken over by fear; the fear of hoodlums, gang members and thieves who lurk around at bus stops and in traffic, just to perpetrate evil. Some unwary passers-by are sometimes robbed, lynched, raped or even killed
The police can not be everywhere, but it is imperative that we take caution and avoid these major hotbeds of hoodlums and thieves in Lagos, as these places are seen as the most dangerous Places in Lagos.
Lagos has been dubbed the most dangerous city in the world, according to certain sources. Some areas of Lagos are extremely safe to live in, while others are extremely dangerous. So, in this article, I’ve compiled a list of the top ten most dangerous neighborhoods in Lagos. I hope this helps you identify the areas you should avoid visiting.
