At least four Operatives of the Ogun state Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) were battered and six others abducted on Tuesday in a surprise attack on their Ibara Area office, Abeokuta, by men of the Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS), Ogun state Command.
The armed squad of the NIS which stormed the TRACE office in ‘shock and awe’ fashion using two unmarked vehicles, began to shoot sporadically into the air, seized any TRACE officer on sight and also thoroughly beat up the unfortunate ones caught.
For over 45 minutes, pandemonium ensued as TRACE Operatives and their visitors abandoned the offices and fled for safety into neighbouring compounds, to escape the NIS attack, a witness told The Nation.
Those wounded during the assault include the Head of Operations, Olalekan Adewale, a member of Parking Management agency, Tomiwa Khaleed and two others.
The Nation gathered that NIS not content with storming the victims’ Area Office, also went round strategic areas in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, and abducted six TRACE Operatives on duty in different locations and took them away.
It was gathered that angry NIS officials were reacting to an alleged assault on their un-armed colleague earlier in the day at the Sapon area of the state capital by TRACE Corps.
It was further gathered that following bitter argument between the unarmed NIS officer and TRACE, eight traffic corps were said to have beaten him up on the allegation that he parked his car in a manner that constituted an obstruction to traffic at the Sapon area.
The Public Relations Officer of TRACE, Babatunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the assault, said four persons were wounded while six others were abducted in different areas of the city.
He said,”I got a call this morning that some of our men were being picked random around Abeokuta by some immigration officers.
“Learnt that they contravened traffic rules around Sapon area and our men were trying to remove the number plate and pushed him and he fell.
“Presently the driver of that car had been taken to court for the contravention and attacking uniformed officers on duty.”
Reacting, the Public Relations Officer of NIS, Felix Kuti, said the TRACE officials provoked the reprisal attack, and also justified the abduction of six TRACE corps.
Kuti said, “Even in family, there is bound to be disagreements. But among the uniformed men, there should be ‘espirit de corp.’ As a uniformed man, if you see another uniformed man in trouble, you must come to his aid. But when that is not being respected, there is problem.
“The TRACE assaulted two of our men this morning and one of them is a Chief Superintendent of Immigration around Sapon area, they tore his uniform, and wounded him. He suffered injury to the mouth.
“They later took him away, up till now, we are yet to see him. There is something called law of reciprocity. If I am looking for my brother and I cannot locate him, and I know you have taken him, it is possible that I may be tempted to equally take yours. When you give me my own, I give you your own.”
