We are endangered species: Robbers with military precision attack Asaba phone dealers 

•Millions lost, livelihoods shattered

By Egufe Yafugborhi

The streets of Asaba’s once-bustling gadget district have taken on the feel of a war zone.

Shops that once hummed with the chatter of haggling customers now stand eerily quiet. Roller shutters crash down by 6pm, two hours earlier than just weeks ago. And behind every counter, nervous eyes scan doorways for the masked men who have turned this commercial hub into a hunting ground.

“We are now endangered species,” one trader lamented as he counted the day’s meager earnings.

The numbers tell a terrifying story. In May 2026 alone, at least seven major electronics shops across Nnebisi Road, Ibuzor Junction, and Ibori Phones Hub have been hit. The attacks are brazen, brutal, and devastatingly effective.

Terror by day, plunder by night

By daylight, armed gunmen storm shops with military coordination, ordering staff and customers to the floor while they sweep shelves clean of phones, laptops, and accessories worth millions of naira. By nightfall, burglars move like shadows, cutting locks, drilling safes, and vanishing before dawn’s first light.

CCTV footage circulating on social media has become a depressing ritual, masked figures moving with chilling precision, knowing exactly where to find the most valuable stock. The footage has spawned a disturbing theory among dealers, the robbers have inside information.

“The speed and the coordination shows they know our layouts and our routines,” said Love Chime, a trader at Mayor Gadgets who watched helplessly as burglars relocated the shop’s entire safe from an upstairs office. “This is not random. Someone is feeding them information.”

Where do I raise money from to restart?

For McCarti, owner of Macarti Gadgets on Nnebisi Road, May 2 was a nightmare relived.

Just months after the first robbery of 2026, gunmen returned, tying up staff, customers, and McCarti himself before making off with inventory valued in hundreds of millions.

His response was visceral as he staged a roadblock protest in front of the Delta State Police Headquarters, frustration boiling over into public desperation.

Three plazas down, Ibe Uche Valentine of BBT Gadgets knows the feeling all too well. His second robbery of 2026 came at dawn on May 27, four months after he lost over N47 million in a January attack.

“I’m frustrated. I don’t know what to do,” Valentine said, his voice cracking with exhaustion. 

“My wife and elder brother had to take the inventory to report to police because I might lose it myself. I just don’t know where to raise money to restart.”

His story echoes across the district. Shops have been hit twice in six months. Bank loans go unpaid. Insurance claims stall. And the math simply no longer adds up.

The Ripple Effect

The crisis has spread far beyond shop owners as repair technicians who once thrived on foot traffic now stare at empty stools. Accessory vendors count unsold stock. POS agents who depended on the bustling crowds watch their daily earnings evaporate.

Some dealers have taken desperate measures, splitting inventory between multiple locations, storing bulk stock at home overnight to avoid total loss. “We no longer keep bulk stock overnight,” one vendor admitted, asking to remain anonymous.

Private security guards have been hired. CCTV systems upgraded. Insurance uptake is rising, though many complain premiums are crushing and claims move at a slow pace.

And the customers? They are voting with their feet. Afternoon visits to Nnebisi Road plazas have dwindled as buyers opt for online orders or shops far from the danger zone.

Protest, Promises And Persistent Fear

On May 4–5, hundreds of dealers from Ibori Phones Hub took to the streets, marching to Government House with placards that screamed a simple demand: “We Need Security, Not Sympathy.”

Protest leader Victor Uche presented the industry’s desperate plea to Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Kingsley Emu, who offered assurances of urgent intervention.

“We will address this situation decisively. In a matter of weeks, the impact of our interventions will become evident,” Emu promised, urging calm while advising business owners to strengthen internal security.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Edafe Bright, confirmed investigations are underway. “We are presently investigating and also on the trail of the suspects,” he stated, adding that detectives are combing CCTV footage for evidence of insider collusion.

But for Valentine and countless others, the promises ring hollow. “Instead, they are telling me to stop complaining, that I should stop raising the alarm on social media,” he said bitterly.

As dusk settles over Nnebisi Road, the streets that once glowed with neon signs and late-night trade now retreat into darkness earlier than ever before.

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