I've got to say that the locals who are here watching over us expats get it. They don't live in a make believe world that everything is safe for us, and that the AK-47's are there for entertainment.
I have first hand knowledge of a local company driver who was knocked over the head on his way to work (I saw his bandaged head). I've also seen (from the van) people ganging up on somebody to beat the living sh*t out of him, and other crew members have witnessed at least one knife fight from the van during the time I've been here.
I personally have not been accosted; just the more garden variety rip-offs and thefts. I've been through the many impromtu road blocks to extort money. I had my ipod and various other things stolen out of my bag in my locked hotel room. BTW, I'm happy to report that my airline put pressure on the hotel to pay for my goods, which they recently did to the airline (which will hopefully get to me:-) Go read the NTSB report of the last crash in LOS. The plane was stripped clean of everything.
The carnage on the highways is disgusting. I've personally seen many okadas on the ground, and witnessed one driver hit a tree at perhaps 70mph. That was 2 seconds after trying to pass our van on the right, in the dirt. Naturally, basic safety precautions like seat belts were not used and he was ejected into the windshield while we watched. Puts a damper on the mood.
Crazy car driving and accidents can happen anywhere, what was more interesting about this crash is that nobody stopped to render aid, and our driver didn't even blink. No comment. No nothing. Just kept going. So did everybody else.
Occasionally, human dead bodies just pop up in ditches. You'd think they'd get picked up, but many times, they sit there and rot for a few days first. In a huge, major city. One such body was near one of our hotels within the past 2 months while I've been here.
Those are some of my experiences, mostly first hand, of my short tenure in Lagos, Nigeria. Like working anywhere, you adapt to the environment, and carry on.