The activities of the infamous ‘One Chance‘ criminals have been making headlines on several media reports. As a result of that, we decided to publish several tips to help citizens stay safe.

First of all, for those who don’t the meaning of ‘One Chance’, we’ll explain what it means and why it has become such a hot topic.

What is the meaning of ‘One Chance’?

In Nigeria, the term One Chance refers to a form of robbery in which passengers are lured into supposed commercial vehicles full of criminals, after which they’ll be dispossessed of their belongings, money and other valuables.

Despite horrifying tales from survivors people still fall victim to this ugly trend daily.

By now one should not be ignorant of their modus operandi. One Chance thieves are always armed with all manner of weapons ranging from daggers (laced with poisonous substance), harmer, gun, hypnotizing spray, etc. The sophisticated ones go with POS machines too.

The safety tips below will be of help. Remember that security is not just the business of the security agents alone; security should be everybody’s business.

ways to avoid One Chance

1. use renown metropolitan buses/taxis

Metropolitan buses are provided by the government in major cities and towns. Some private organizations and individuals who run the business as well ensure that their buses/taxis are safe, properly licensed and insured. They also ensure that they are in good standing with the government authorities. With that said, using these buses is one safe way of not falling victim to One Chance operatives.

The issue of overcrowding still persists in these metro buses/taxis. Nevertheless, it is safe to board a Metro bus rather than fall victim to one chance robbers in an unlicensed commercial vehicle.

Note that one chance thieves most times use cars for their operations. And their target most of the time is one individual at a time.

2. Hire buses/Taxis

Whether you’re planning a business trip, corporate event, or personal vacation, transportation safety should always be the top priority. but some trying to be smart with their finance give up their safety and rather stand by the roadside waiting for a good samaritan who would probably carry them at a reduced cost or carry them free of charge.

The bitter truth is that they end up being robbed by the supposed good samaritan(s). Although hiring a bus could be expensive, it is safer. Therefore, it is better not to compromise your safety over cheap things. If you are going in a group, the cost won’t be much since it is shared.

If you live in Abuja, Lagos or any other popular Nigerian city where Taxify and Uber operate, then it is better to patronize them for your journeys within the city.

3. Use flight or train instead

Flights may be quite expensive but hey! it is faster. Plus, there is no fear of you being one-chanced. Compare spending 8 hours traveling by road from Abuja to Lagos to spending 45 munites traveling by air.

The truth remains that not everyone can afford traveling by air but why not if you can afford it. Trains are other good alternatives, only that the train transport service is yet to be fully operational in all the 36 states of the country.

4. Travel with your own car

Using your personal car is one sure way of avoiding ‘one chance’ armed robbers. But the unfortunate fact is, it is not everybody that can afford a vehicle. However, if you can afford it, then why not?

The reason it is better to go about with your own vehicle is, you’ll not have to stand by the roadside hitchhiking, which is what the criminals take advantage of.

5. Use your intuition and be very observant

In the event that you don’t have your personal vehicle, or for one reason or the other you just have to patronize public transport, then you have to apply tact.

People rush into just any vehicle probably to leave a dangerous area before it gets dark. This is as a matter of fact very risky. So, don’t be in a hurry to enter any vehicle whether commercial or private. Rushing into a vehicle is a practice that is common with people living in cities.

Before you enter a vehicle, look at the passengers already seated in the vehicle; if your instinct tells you not to enter, just obey it.

Like we noted earlier, those criminals operate in such a way that you’ll notice just one or two passenger spaces left at the backseat of the vehicle. So, it is better to board a vehicle that has no other passengers at the back seat yet.

It is also important to board vehicles only at recognized parks since most of those criminals avoid picking up passengers from the park.

Additionally, there’s a common misconception that when a woman or a young lady is present in a vehicle, then it is safe to board. The truth is, the presence of a female doesn’t guarantee that they aren’t criminals. From the accounts of various victims, these criminals sometimes have female cohorts.

On a final note, one chance robbers are constantly upgrading their antics, therefore it is imperative that the populace arm themselves with information like the ones mentioned in this post. So, always visit this site for more safety tips.