Joseph, 39, was on his way to a local bank when he was intercepted by three robbers, who are still on the escape.

As the end of year draws near so too men of the underway are drawing nearing to business milieu and people. Joseph’s money was seized beside the booming Marché des Femmes at about 1:00 in the afternoon of Wednesday when he was about boarding a taxi to a neighbourhood bank.

Two young men loitering around the Government Bilingual High School in New Bell suddenly walked up closely to him, pointing two narrow-edged swords towards his belly, then coolly warned: “If you shout we will pierce”. They added, “Give us the money”. Under the broad daylight risk of fatal intimidation, the sum of FCFA 1.5 million was deposited into their bag before they made way one after the other. The onslaught, which went on unnoticed to nearby persons who waited along the stretch to board taxi, was said to have been executed by some gang of armed robbers, among them foreigners. Despite the presence of two nearby police stations, the area has been prone to attacks both in the nights and days, roadside vendors complained.

Although the onslaught was seen by some sellers far off at the entrance to the market, they later confessed they were muted by fear. Joseph recounted that they robbers moved as if they had nothing dangerous on them and they clogged to him as though they were friends – most probably to avoid the suspicion of onlookers. Police wagon rumbled through the neighbourhood shortly after but recorded no traces of the suspects.