Mombasa, KENYA: If you usually cross the Nyali Bridge at night then you should be extra careful. Several people have reported being attacked and robbed by a group of young boys bearing knives.
According to victims, the boys hide in the bushes that are at both ends of the bridge to wait for their prey, and then pounce on them just 2m into the bridge.
The thieves, who attack pedestrians even as early as 7 pm, come in groups of 2-6 people and surround their victims to intimidate them before demanding for phones and other valuables.
One of the victims, Margaret Akinyi, said they were attacked on Monday evening at around 8 pm while going to catch a matatu from work.
“They were two boys, both with knives. They managed to get away with my handbag which had my phone and all the important documents and also took my friend’s phone. The other friend who managed to run away had to go home barefoot as they even took her shoes,” said Akinyi.
Another victim Francis Kandi said they almost threw him off the bridge for refusing to give them his phone.
“They first hit my hand to see if I would let go of the phone but when that didn’t work, they threatened me with a knife and threatened to throw me off the bridge. I panicked then started screaming. Luckily the guys who were around came to my aid,” he said.
“I had to go home with tattered clothes, they also managed to bruise me with a knife,” added Francis.
While speaking to Baraka FM, Mombasa County Commander Johnstone Ipara urged all those affected to report to the nearest police station so as to aid in conducting investigations.
“Let them go to the police stations, report the incidents and get OB numbers then we can take it from there,” said Ipara.
