By Ifeanyi Okolie

The clash between policemen attached to Area ‘E’  police Command, Festac  Town, Lagos and some officials of Amuwo- Odofin Local Government led by its Chairman, Comrade Ayodele Adewale, last Sunday, nearly turned bloody but for the timely intervention of Assistant Commissioner of Police, Dan Okoro,  who saved the day.

Eyewitnesses told Crime Alert that some people posing as local government officials from Amuwo-Odofin, in company of armed officials of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, accosted a team of policemen at Festac link bridge while attempting to drive an impounded trailer truck with reg No. XN 845 KTU to their station.  The truck was earlier involved in a road accident that killed a motorcyclist along Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

They reportedly ordered that the truck be taken to the local government secretariat for flouting a law prohibiting its passage on the road.   This did not go down well with the policemen escorting the truck to their station and they resisted it.

It was gathered that the situation became highly charged when the Chairman of Amuwo-Odofin L.G.A. arrived the scene and allegedly blocked the ill-fated truck with a Sport Utility Vehicle and a Hilux Van, thereby, preventing the policemen from taking the truck to their station.

File photo: Police officers

Eyewitness account

An eyewitness, Emma Okechukwu, told Crime Alert that the blockade infuriated the policemen and a heated argument ensued between them and the local government officials, forcing the armed NSCDC men to cock their rifles waiting for orders to shoot. “I was disturbed with what I saw that day. The action of the Local Government Chairman and his staff was too bad.  I wonder why they would want to obstruct lawful police operation.  The chairman over stepped his bounds, but I am yet to understand why he would do that.

Responsibility of the police

When I listened to their argument, it was obvious that the Chairman does not want the police to take the truck to their station; rather he wanted them to take the truck to a complex owned by the Local Government.  I see nothing wrong in that, but the decision on where to park trucks impounded by the police are solely the responsibility of the police and not the Local Government Chairman. The armed NSCDC men and the police almost shot at themselves but the timely intervention of the Area Commander, Dan Okoro, who displayed maturity and professionalism while the feud ensued, saved the day,”  the eyewitness explained.

PPRO reacts: Meanwhile, the spokesperson of Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, who spoke with Crime Alert on the matter said Comrade Adewale chose to obstruct police investigation because he was angry with the police for arresting some of his men few days before that incident.   According to her, “on Wednesday, October 9, 2013,  the Area E Commander, Dan Okoro, got a distress call that some mobile policemen were harassing and intimidating some residents of Festac Town.  The commander was also informed that the mobile policemen has also injured a resident and vandalized his vehicle. He swiftly sent some of his men to the scene to arrest the situation.

“On getting there, the policemen discovered that the people clad in mobile police uniforms were fake, they turned out to be employees of Amuwo-Odofin L.G.A kitted in mobile police accoutrements.   Based on this startling discovery, the Area commander ordered their immediate arrest after some dangerous weapons including military bayonets were recovered from them.

While they were in custody, some officials of the Local Government came to affect their release claiming that the fake mobile policemen were members of Man O War.   The Area Commander made it clear that he has received several complaints from residents of the area on the activities of the fake mobile policemen terrorizing them and he would charge the matter to court to serve as deterrent to others. They were all charged to court the next day and were granted bail.

“This didn’t go down well with the Local Government Chairman.   So, the next Sunday, the Area Commander was in his office and he received a distress call that a truck had crushed a motorcyclist to death along the Lagos -Badagry Expressway and some angry mob hijacked the situation to cause havoc.  He mobilized his men and drafted them to the scene to disperse the mob. When they arrived, it was discovered that the driver and conductor of the truck had already been beaten to the point of death and the mob were about setting them ablaze. The mob had also destroyed the windscreen of 10 other expensive vehicles that were caught up in the frenzy.

The policemen managed to disperse the angry mob, removed the corpses to the mortuary for autopsy and the dying truck driver and his conductor were rushed to the hospital.  Giving the state of things, there was no way they could leave that truck at the scene or take it to an unsecured location.  Even the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, LASTMA, at Mile 2, who were at the scene refused to take custody of the truck, fearing the angry mob would attack their office.   The policemen were left with only one option, which was for them to take the truck to their station.

But on their way, the Local Government Chairman who was angry with the police for arresting and taking his men to court saw an opportunity to retaliate. He accosted the police at Festac link bridge and ordered that the impounded truck be taken to his office for safe keeping and that he also wanted to investigate the murder case.

The policemen escorting the truck explained to him what the truck had gone through but he refused to listen to them. In fact, he even went ahead to block the truck from moving with his SUV and one Hilux and obstructed police lawful operation for over four hours. As if that was not enough, the next day, he led some local government staffs to protest at the Apapa Magistrates court where he addressed the press and called the Area Commander unprintable names.”

Residents too

Following this development, some residents of Festac Town have called on Lagos State Government and  police authorities to prevail on officials of Amuwo-Odofin L.G.A.to stop distracting the police in the area from carrying out their lawful duties.  Daniel Amadi, a medical doctor who resides in FESTAC alleged that the action of the Man O’ War whom he described as the foot soldiers of Ayodele is creating havoc for residents of FESTAC, adding that they have totally hijacked the duties of the police.

According to him, “they arrest residents at will and lock them up in the local government premises only to be released when their demands were met. They puncture vehicle tyres of residents with jack knives and any attempt to challenge them will result in beating.