The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Task force

  • Families accuse hoodlums, police, task force of invading land

    Some families in a community in Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area of Lagos State have lamented the destruction of their properties by unknown people.

    The families claimed that the assailants came with policemen two weeks ago to dislodge them from their land.

    They said five persons, including two men, two women and a child were injured

    During a protest on Saturday at Idi-Obi Egan Village, the families appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to investigate the assault.

    The families’ spokespersons, Alade Rufai Ifamoluwa and Alhaji Kolawole Amode, described the attacks as “callous.”

    Ifamoluwa said the assailants destroyed their forefathers’ graves and symbol of their deities.

    “They destroyed the perimeter fencing, entered our land and demolished our houses. They did not even spare our shrines.  I have been arrested twice and taken to Ikoyi prison before my people came to bail me and others. After that, they still used policemen to threaten us. This land remains our source of livelihood. The people also destroyed the equipment I used for my business here,” he said.

    The families, Amode said, had sacrificed and did not deserve the assault.

    He said: “We are all begging Governor Ambode to help us by looking into what is happening to us here in our community. As far back as 500 years, our forefathers lived here and there was no problem but since two years ago, we began to have issues with our land. We have lost 400 hectares of the land to the state government out of 500 hectares since year 2000. The remaining 100 hectares is what the government left for us, yet we are being disturbed by some faceless groups, that are dropping the name of the government to foment crisis.

    “They came with mobile policemen and task force officers, they drove our wives and children, who are living here away, broken our homes. So we don’t know what to do again. We are begging Lagos State Government under Governor Ambode to help us to protect our land so that we can have rest of mind.

    “We want government to help us call some developers working on our land to leave, because they are selling the land to other people.”

    Amode said he and his brother were detained at Ikoyi Prison on two occasions because of the issue.

    Imam Mustapha Adeniyi, who bought one hectare of land from the family, said some people working on his site were injured during the attack.

    “I learnt they came with harmful objects to destroy things here.  This is one of my workers, who were wounded that day. I was on my way when I was told not to come here, else I would be wounded. I bought the land from Ifamoluwa family and I have almost one hectare of land, which belongs to me and my elder brothers in London. I am using this opportunity to beg the government to see to this issue.  I learnt that the government said they don’t have anything to do with the destruction, and that is why they should investigate the matter,” he said.

  • Task force frees Oshodi-Apapa road service lane

    •Ambode extends operation by 48 hours

    The Joint Task Force on sanitisation of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway has opened up the service lane for ease of movement.

    The task force comprising security agencies and stakeholders in the maritime sector is to remove all containerised trucks and tankers parked on the expressway.

    Speaking with reporters after assessing the operation with heads of security agencies and other stakeholders, Commissioner for Transportation, Ladi Lawanson excited with the freeing of the road from Toyota to Mile 2.

    The road, he said, was freed in a 72-hour operation which lasted between Friday and Sunday.

    Tagged “Operation restore sanity on Lagos roads,” the government raised the task force comprising 2,271 personnel from the police, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) the army, air force and navy.

    Also involved are some maritime unions, such as, Amalgamation of Container Truck Owners Association, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO).

    Lawanson said Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had extended the task force operation by 48 hours, adding that he (the governor) would host a meeting of the stakeholders in Alausa, Ikeja, today to seek a lasting solution to the menace.

    He said: “The governor will specifically be meeting with the Nigeria Ports Authority, Nigeria Shippers Council, tank farm owners, Department of Petroleum Resources, among others, because that is where the problem is really emanating from.

    “What we are doing now are just palliative measures and we have to solve the problem from the source. Even though this is not within the governor’s jurisdiction but he is adopting a collaborative approach with these agencies of the Federal Government which are the root cause of the problem to look for a medium to long term solutions in support of the palliative measures that the governor has started.”

    Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan said over 2,000 articulated vehicles were removed from some roads, including Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Funsho Williams Avenue and Mile 2-Orile and taken to seven designated holding bays.

    The government, he said, would also set up a mobile court within the axis to summarily deal with truck drivers who prove stubborn.

    By yesterday, many of the articulated vehicles on the Oshodi-Apapa road had been moved to MRS and Capital Oil loading bays. Those that blocked parts of Badagry Expressway were taken to the Orile holding bay.

    The Nation gathered that the task force worked non-stop to free the road.

    They were said to have split into groups, to achieve their goal. LASEMA deployed its hybrid equipment including industrial capacity forklift known as Goliaths, 120ton capacity toll trucks and adequate manpower for the operation.

    There were, however, some hiccups with the NPA and a terminal operator, APM.The duo, it was gathered, were practically forced by the task force to grant access to some of the trucks.

    They were said to have complained that they were not informed ahead bout the operation.

    APM, it was gathered, protested that the evacuation of some containers from the road to Lillypond , Ijora-Badia would cost it more money to move them back to the terminal.

    The Nation gathered that the operation was extended by 48 hours, to enable the task force clear trucks on Ikorodu Road, which have grounded activities from Onipanu to Western Avenue and up to Mobil Road in Apapa.

    Commissioner of Police Imohimi Edgal decried the attitude of some drivers and facility owners.

    He said: “However, it is gratifying to note that the Lagos State Government has signified intention to engage the facility owners/operators to enable them reach a common ground to resolve the matter. In the same vein, the command in conjunction with the union leaders will continue to engage the cynical drivers to key into the operation in the interest of the public.”

  • Navy withdraws men from task force

    The Nigerian Navy (NN) yesterday withdrew its operatives deployed as part of the task force controlling truck and tanker drivers within Apapa and environs.

    The withdrawal, it was gathered, followed the assault of some naval operatives attached to Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT at Ijora-Badia on Monday by protesters.

    A car belonging to personnel and two other naval operational vehicles were also allegedly vandalised.

    The protesters accused the Navy and other security agencies of extortion and insisted that the Navy should withdraw its personnel from the roads.

    They alleged that the security operatives breached the initial agreement of passing the drivers with call cards, but were rather giving preferential treatment to some.

    But our correspondent learnt yesterday that the protesters were not happy with naval presence on the road because they were being restricted to a lane and made to turn back whenever they broke the rules.

    Although the attacked operatives and their colleagues had wanted to fight back, they were directed by their superiors not to retaliate and to return to the base in Apapa.

    Angered by the development, it was gathered that the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC), Rear Admiral Sylvanus Abbah and the Commander NNS Beecroft, Commodore Okon Eyo, directed the suspension of naval participation in the task force to avoid breakdown of law and order.

    It was learnt that the senior officers said they would not want a situation whereby NN personnel would be forced to react in self-defence, thereby escalating the issue.

    Spokesperson for the WNC, Chinwe Umar, a Commander, said the NN was unhappy with the assault of its personnel and damage to its vehicles.

     

     

     

  • Man pleads with Task force to release his Okada

    •Why we won’t return it, by Task force

    An Okada rider in Ikorodu area of Lagos state, Olusola Ojediran, 50, has pleaded for the release of his Okada with the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (Task force).

    Ojediran told The Nation that his Okada, Bajaj Boxer, was ceased by officials of the task force when they raided the Ikorodu roundabout sometimes in August last year.

    He said his Okada was among many others taken to the Task Force office in Oshodi, adding that it was from there taken to their office in Ojota.

    According to him, “I am an Okada rider in Ikorodu area of Lagos state; sometimes in August last year, my Okada was taken away by the Task force officials when they came on a raid in Ikorodu round about. The Okada was taken to their Oshodi office and later to their Ojota office.

    “While I was in the process of getting back my Okada, I wrote to the then Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni and he wrote on it that my Okada should be released.  He forwarded the latter to his then assistant, who is now the current Commissioner, Imohimi Edgal who also signed on the letter alongside two other persons.  I took the letter to the Task force office in Oshodi, someone minute on the letter that my Okada should be released. So I went to the Task force Office in Ojota, my Okada was not among those in their office. I searched the whole of the place the ceased motorcycles were parked but I did not find mine. I later discovered that my Okada was not in record that it has been taken away. The officials collected my number and said they would call me when it is found but up till now, I have not heard from them. When I went back there after a while, they chased me away.”

    Ojediran said since then, all his efforts to get back his Okada has proved abortive.

    He urged Task Force Chairman, Olayinka Egbeyemi to either give him back his Okada or give him the money to buy another.

    “I bought the Okada less than three months before it was ceased. It is this Okada business that I used to feed my family since I lost my job, but since my Okada was taken, I have been unable to cater for my family and I have also developed high blood pressure because I have been thinking about this Okada which is my means of livelihood,” he said.

    But the Task force said it is not aware of any matter concerning release of any impounded motorcycle at Ojota and as a matter of fact we don’t release any impounded motorcycle.

    Its task force’s Head of Public Affairs, Taofik Adebayo yesterday told The Nation that the agency don’t release any motorcycles below 200CC impounded on any of the 475 restricted routes including highways and bridges across the state.

    “We have issued several warnings to motorcycle operators and even had series of meetings with their executives on the need for them to comply with the Lagos State Road Traffic Law of 2012 by not plying 475 restricted routes including highways and bridges across the State. It is an eye-sore when you sees motorcyclists plying BRT corridors and One-way facing upcoming vehicles with two to three passengers on the express without minding the danger of head collusion.

    “The only permitted motorcycles on our roads must be above 200CC and its must be strictly for personal use or for dispatch riders only,” he said.

  • Enugu DISCO gets task force on energy theft

    The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has inaugurated a Special Investigation and Prosecution Taskforce on Electricity Offences (SIPTEO) to punish   individuals and organisations that commit energy theft and meter bypass as well as those involved in vandalism of electrical infrastructure

    The event, which took place at the company’s corporate headquarters in Enugu, was presided over by the Acting Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Paul Okeke.

    Other members of EEDC’s Board of Directors at the event included Dr. Steve Dike; the Technical Adviser to the Board, Mr. Yateesh Kumar; the company’s Transformational Consultant, Mr. Okey Nwosu and head of task force, Miss Chinenye Okafor.

    Okeke advised the team to be professional in the discharge of its duty, saying there is need for high-level integrity and respect for human rights.

    He said the high prevalence of meter bypass and energy theft in the Southeast posed a serious challenge to EEDC.

    According to him, the company has consistently recorded monthly losses in revenue, threatening its performance and sustainability.

    The leader of the 18-man special squad, Spencer Tyozua, a Superintendent of Police (SP), assured EEDC management that his team would be professional in discharging its task.

     

  • Extortion: Task force to arrest council traffic officials

    Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (TaskForce) will today commence a clampdown on illegal activities of local government traffic officials.

    Lagos State Task Force Chairman, Olayinka Egbeyemi, in a statement, said the clampdown was the directive of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi.

    Egbeyemi said the illegal activities of the notorious traffic officials on Lagos roads has been worrisome as cases of motorists being extorted were reported to his office daily.

    He said Imohimi was not comfortable with the rate of extortion of motorists by the traffic officials who claim to be enforcing the Lagos State Road Traffic Law of 2012.

    “As a responsive and responsible government, the right of Lagosians including motorists is paramount to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. The ban on all local government traffic officials from controlling or engaging in traffic duties by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode still stands.  Traffic management is not a responsibility of the third tier of government.

    “Indeed there are traffic units in all 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas. CP Edgal Imohimi has therefore said that only Nigeria Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) Taskforce and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) can perform traffic duties in Lagos State,’’ he said.

    He urged motorists to always adhere strictly to traffic regulations and report illegal activities of notorious traffic officials to the nearest police station.

  • Four feared dead as police, task force storm church

    Four persons were feared yesterday when the Lagos State Task Force on Land Grabbers led by the police stormed a church in Makoko, Yaba.

    The task force, some hoodlums and the police were said to have stormed The Act of Apostle Church over a land dispute. They reportedly came with over 30 police vans from different divisions, including Adekunle and Ikeja

    They allegedly broke down the fence of the church, and set its hall ablaze. They were said to have shot sporadically, leaving many injured. Four of the injured were said to have died at press time.

    Residents milled last night discussing the incident. Some were in tears.

    Many of the white chairs in the church and speakers were burnt. The ceilings and windows were broken. A tricycle parked in the church compound was also burnt and the glasses of some cars were destroyed. Broken bottles also littered the streets.

    Some residents blamed the task force, the hoodlums and the police for all the damage.

    The body of Kolawole Iwalokun was brought to the community around 5pm. He was said to have died where he was being treated. Some members of the community brought his body to the church, but the police wanted to go away with it. The police shot and sprayed tear gas; people ran away. Bullets were over Kolawole’s body.

    The Nation learnt that some members of the community fought back as they stoned the police.

    An eye witness, Nejo Olanrewaju, said he was in his house around 10am when he saw an expectant mother running into the passage of his house.

    “I came out of my room and saw many policemen with some hoodlums carrying guns, cutlasses and other weapons in front of the church. I walked up to them and asked what their mission was. One of them told another to throw me into the task force van; I told them they cannot do that to me. We engaged in a little strife and one of the officials said I should be released.

    “The next thing I saw was that they started shooting, not into the air but sporadically. They shot into every direction; a lot of people were affected. I rushed to the community head to see what I could do to help. The whole place was destroyed, many people died.”

    Another resident, Levi Ipense, said he ran back from school when he heard of the incident.

    He said: “When I got here, I saw over 50 policemen, with hoodlums and touts with guns, charms and cutlasses. The hoodlums were in task force uniform. I heard gun shots and saw blood stains, many people are dead.

    “Kolawole Iwalokun, 40, Junior Olaranmoye, in his 20’s is dead. Kolawole is married with children, he is a businessman. Junior is a fashion designer

    “A lot of people were injured; the injuries sustained were bad. They were chasing us; we did not argue with them when they first came. It was when we saw that they had burnt the church that we had to retaliate. Being youths, we were annoyed. It was the police that set their station ablaze; they did this to use it against us. They also broke the fence of the police station.

    According to him, what the police came to do is illegal.

    An Executive in the church, Bamidele Ogunmayi, said a land issue led to the crisis.

    “The police have done badly, they have supported area boys, killed four of our people, about 20 of our youths are injured with gunshots, and they are receiving treatment. They have burnt our church, broken our fence. We do not know the interest of the police in land matters. They have impinged on our fundamental right; they also arrested some of our youths.

    “The police were about 50, the land grabbers and hoodlums were about 30 and were in the task force uniform. The police broke our fence, when the youths wanted to ask them what the matter was, they started shooting. We want justice against the people that violated our human right,” Ogunmayi said.

  • Task force impounds 98 motorcycles

    operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (Task force) over the weekend impounded 98 commercial motorcycles plying restricted routes in Apapa.

    Its Chairman, Olayinka Egbeyemi, a Superintendent of Police (SP), said the enforcement operations was carried out  after several warning to commercial motorcycle operators to desist from operating on restricted routes particularly on highways and bridges.

    The government, he said, was not comfortable with the flagrant abuse of law by commercial motorcycle operators, coupled with report of crime allegedly perpetrated with use of ‘okada’ particularly around Apapa, Mile 2, Festac, 2nd Rainbow, Ijesha and Orile-Iganmu.

    “These commercial motorcycle operators, no doubt have been a sort of menace as their public nuisances and criminal activities at any time of the day is becoming alarming particularly in Apapa and its environs,” he said.

    The Task force chief stressed that some of the Okada riders harassed members of the public at various bus-stop around Coconut, Wharf, Tincan-Island and Apapa GRA.

    They also engaged in dispossessing their passengers of valuables and also robbing motorists in traffic gridlock, he said.

    He enjoined commercial motorcycles unions to weed out those criminal elements amongst them and educate their members on the need to strictly adhere to the laws.

  • Police set up task force on illegal firearms

    Police set up task force on illegal firearms

    Enugu State Police Command has set up a task force to mop-up illegal fire arms and ammunition.

    The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, recently directed commissioners to recover prohibited firearms.

    Police Commissioner Mr. Mohammed Danmallam spoke yesterday while briefing reporters on the directive.

    He said the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Operations, Mr. Frank Idu, had been appointed to head the task force.

    Danmallam said the task force comprised personnel from State and Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department and mobile police units.

    “The task force will ensure the mop-up of illegal fire arms and ammunition as well as stop militia groups.

    “The task force will ensure that everybody holding illegal fire arms and ammunition will be prosecuted,” he said.

    The commissioner urged persons with firearms and ammunition to re-verify and revalidate them in the command within 14 days.

    He said anyone caught with illegal firearms and ammunition would be prosecuted.

    “If you have firearms and ammunition with expired licence or not duly registered, you must re-verify and revalidate at the command now,” Danmallam said.

    He said the enforcement would be total and urged the public to give information on people holding such illegal firearms and ammunition to the police.

    “Everybody should assist the police on this issue; the public, especially reporters will do well to give us intelligence information,” the police boss said.

    He said the state had no militia group and had remained peaceful for over two years.

  • Labour pushes for anti-smuggling special task force

    Labour pushes for anti-smuggling special task force

    • Seeks implementation of CTG policy

    The National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), has called on the Federal Government to institute a special task force against smuggling.

    Its General Secretary, who spoke with The Nation, said the industry has recorded 700 job losses to retrenchment in some of the remaining factories.

    Comrade Aremu said: “There is high influx of counterfeit and smuggled goods due to weak enforcement of import prohibition policy. The Federal Government should do what is being done on rice importation, to textile.  We need a Special Task Force against smuggling just as it is on rice.

    ”In spite of the efforts by the Federal Government, the textile industry is yet to come alive. Only recently, the industry recorded about 700 direct job losses due to retrenchment in some of the remaining factories.”

    Aremu commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to reviving the textile industry, adding that Buhari  made textile industry and the manufacturing sector’s revival his cardinal campaign programme. He said through the activist facilitation, President Buhari administration has initiated a number of measures aimed at industry revival.

    Aremu said there could not be development without industry.  Only industry can provide sustainable jobs and living wages and necessary revenue for the government to provide the needed infrastructure for development, he said.

    He said for a diverse country like Nigeria, industry is also a unifier.

    ‘’There was once a Nigeria in which we have textile industry in all the geo-political zones of the country.This is why our union is Pan-Nigerian,’’ he said. He said for Africa to meet the Sustainable Development Goal, 2030, African Continent must innovate and industrialise.

    “Africa must copy China’s industrialisation drive, which has within 20 years moved over 500 million people out of poverty through sustainable employment and wage-led manufacturing and industrialisation. Africa must make what it consumes, otherwise it will be consumed by the rest of the world,” he said.

    He also commended the Executive Orders issued by the Federal Government in line with President Buhari’s promise on the ease of doing business.

    “We acknowledge and commended the Federal Government of Nigeria for launching the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). However, it is surprising the National Cotton, Textile & Garment (CTG) policy was not built into the ERGP.

    “The government should ensure the implementation of Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) policy as adopted by the Federal Government since 2014. The major highlight in that policy is that we must ensure that there is uninterrupted electricity supply to textile industry, as well as other manufacturing industry,”he said.