Nigerian is by far the biggest country in Africa in terms of population. With a population of over 180 million people and deficient of basic social amenities, you should expect crime to be rampant as everyone is hustling for the meager opportunities in the country trying to survive. Nigeria currently boasts one of the most crime-ridden cities in the world. There are waves of killings, kidnappings, robberies and increased number of frauds. Therefore, to stay safe in Nigeria should be the ultimate priority of individuals visiting or living in the country.
Staying safe in Nigeria might be a bit of a challenge but taking some simple measures you will be able to live a fulfilling life without incidents. As we all know exercising safety and security leads to living peacefully. Besides, when you are trying to make wealth, security is one of the main challenges for being very rich.
Because, if you are letting thieves and crooks to pinch from your business you won’t be cutting through the profits. Instead you will be losing big time. Mind you, crooks can be that relative/boyfriend/close friend you let to look after your shop, so beware. We are going to look at some helpful tips to stay safe in this rigorous country called Nigeria.
1. Install Burglar Proof in Your House
Fancy houses may not look nice with burglar-proof jutting out of every corner. But it is a necessity unless you want the home to be ransacked fairly quickly. To avoid being robbed, you must put up these defenses around any point of entry in your house. It puts out the thieves effectively.
If you are a visitor and looking for house to rent for short or long time stay, make sure the house is located in a secure estate and has burglar proof installed. Do not stay in isolated cheap hotels in the outskirt of the city.
2. Always Check For NAFDAC Approval
Before you buy any food, drug, drinking water or any other consumable make sure you check the NAFDAC approval number is on it. Also check for the expiry date on the pack, because there are so many illegally imported foods and fake drugs circulating in the Nigerian markets. The government is very slow in stopping this practice, its up to you to watch out for your own health.
SEE ALSO: How To Start Food Processing Business In Nigeria
3. Don’t Carry Bags Around
Due to recent insurgency and bomb attacks in most of the states, everyone has developed paranoia for strangers carrying obscure bags. This is most especially around religious buildings, most don’t even allow it into their religious sanctums. You could be attacked by a mob if you are seen carrying bags around those areas for two reasons. Maybe because they are desperate to bring insurgency to a swift end. Or for a more obvious reason, the average Nigerian commits to violence very easily.
Criminals always imagine that strangers bags are full of valuables and will make attempt to snatch it at the slightest chance. Some have had their arms amputated by criminals trying to snatch their bags.
4. Call Police When You Are Being Followed
There have been many reports of people being tailed from their workplace to their homes, where they are either murdered, robbed or kidnapped. When you notice a car behind you (using rear view mirror) persistently following you, try to slow down to see if it will overtake you, if it doesn’t and also slowed down, then you are probably being followed.
Try it again a couple of times, if it still does slow down when you do, then don’t drive home. Keep going round and round in a circuitous route while making effort to contact the police. Or park in a public place where there are people around like in front of a plaza or marketplace till they leave or alert the authorities.
SEE ALSO: How To Become A Profitable Car Dealer In Nigeria
5. Avoid Traveling at Night
When you are traveling long distances try to schedule stops in the different states you will be passing along the way. High way robbery is more rampant during the night time in Nigeria.
The roads is another factor you must consider seriously before traveling at night. Nigerian roads are probably some of the worst in the world. Accident is common at night due to potholes and broken vehicles on the way. And should your vehicle break down at night, its almost sure you won’t get any help from anyone as people are apprehensive of stopping at night.
6. Be Cautious When Using ATM’s
Avoid using ATM machines that are located in remote areas most especially in Abuja or Lagos cities. Thugs lurk around and attack unsuspecting victims after they have withdrawn cash from the machines.
7. Do Not Transfer Money to Strangers
Nigerians carry the trophy home when it comes to fraud, popularly referred to as 419. When you receive phone calls or receive text messages prompting you to send money to a bank account please ignore it. It usually starts with an alert to your phone or email informing you that you have won something.
Fraudsters are also very active online so you have to be extra vigilante, or you will lose a lot of money to people that have no day job.
With these measures in place, you can live freely and peacefully in Nigeria, without having to be molested by criminals and hooligans. And then one last thing is to always carry your phone around fully charged before going out. This will prove incredibly useful in case of emergency.
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