metro
‘LASTMA thugs’ brutalise driver, impound bus, agency ignores victim’s petition
A commercial driver, Olasunkanmi Adejare, has accused the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority of using thugs to impound his vehicle in the Oshodi area of the state.
It was gathered that Adejare, who drove a minibus for commercial purposes on the Lagos Island, went to the Ladipo area of the state on April 12, 2021, to purchase some tyres for the vehicle.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the 44-year-old was on his way back to the Lagos Island when he was accosted by three hoodlums allegedly working for LASTMA around the Oshodi area when he parked his vehicle for a friend to alight.
The driver told our correspondent that the men demanded the key of his vehicle and when he refused to give them, they beat him up.
Adejare said the group drove the vehicle to the LASTMA office in Oshodi, adding that all efforts to retrieve the bus proved abortive.
He said, “I came with a friend to buy tyres for the vehicle at Ladipo and on our way back to Lagos Island around Oshodi, almost opposite the LASTMA headquarters, my friend said he wanted to urinate. There were many commercial buses picking passengers in that area, so I parked in front of those buses so my friend could alight from the vehicle.
“Immediately he opened the door and alighted, three men who were not in uniform came from nowhere and asked me to bring my bus key and I asked them why I should give them. Before I knew it, one of them was already inside the bus; another one was standing at the driver’s side door, while another one stood at the other side. They pounced on me and beat me mercilessly; they forcefully took the vehicle from me and drove it to the LASTMA office.
“When I confirmed that the vehicle was taken to the LASTMA office, I wrote a petition to the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, dated April 15 and it was acknowledged on April 21. I sought an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the forceful confiscation of the minibus when I did not violate any traffic law. The petition was referred to the DG of LASTMA, who also referred the matter to one Mr Apena, who is the director of surveillance and monitoring.
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“When I got to his office and explained what happened, he supported those guys, saying that they were doing their job and I asked him that if they were working for LASTMA why were they not in uniform, but he could not give me an answer, and no investigation was conducted.”
Adejare said he wrote another petition to the commissioner of transportation on May 11, 2021, which was referred to the LASTMA GM, who in turn referred the petition to the director of legal service of the agency.
The victim, who noted that the director of legal service confirmed that the vehicle was parked in the LASTMA office, said he had been pushed over since May, as the officers refused to release his vehicle.
“Since that May till October, I have been going back and forth to LASTMA office and Alausa, Ikeja, without any meaningful result. I wrote a petition in October to the governor, but I did not hear anything about it. I realised that because I wrote petitions against them to the ministry that was why they did not want to release the vehicle.
“Since April 12, 2021, life has been unbearable for me because this minibus was given to me and others by the Lagos Island Local Government Area to ameliorate my suffering after I lost my job at Apapa due to COVID-19. I am also owing over N1.3m, while the bus is rotting away with everything inside it looted, including the four tyres and rim I bought at Ladipo Market.”
The LASTMA Public Relations Officer, Olumide Filade, said he was not aware of the matter and could not comment on it.
He said, “I don’t have any information whatsoever on it, so I cannot comment.”
Punch
metro
200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS
200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has disclosed that about 200,000 repentant terrorists have so far dropped their arms and surrendered to troops in the North East, noting that the twin strategy of kinetic and non-kinetic operations was responsible for this achievement.
The CDS made this known at the Security and Justice Symposium organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in collaboration with the British High Commission, which began at the National Counterterrorism Centre in Abuja on Tuesday.
He disclosed that the theme of the symposium, ”Securing Peace, Ensuring Justice, Protection, Conduct, and Accountability,” speaks volumes about the deluge of security challenges the armed forces and security agencies are facing.
His words, “All the challenges we are facing today have to do with fairness, equity, justice, and accountability.
“There will not be peace without justice, equity, fairness, and accountability. In our operations, we are conducting both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies, which have to a large extent yielded significant successes, and we want to particularly thank the National Security Adviser for his great support in this regard.
“Nigeria is going through so many challenges, and we feel we’re able to address this, and everybody has a sense of belonging. A lot of the security challenges we are having, we are sure, will go down. I want to thank the National Security Advisor for all the support he’s given us, both the kinetic and the non-kinetic.
“We have said it; the kinetic aspect is just less than 30%. The non-kinetic has a lot to play. The non-kinetic, because when you have democracy, people must have the evidence of democracy. As long as it tells people to sleep well and be peaceful, and they are hungry, their children cannot eat, and all this creates more problems.
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“The issue of informants. We have to look at how we tackle this issue of informants. Because these are the people who have created the issue.
200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS
metro
Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police
Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police
The spokesperson for the police in Delta State, SP Bright Edafe, has confirmed the death of two robbery suspects in the state.
Mr Edafe, who disclosed this to journalists on Tuesday in Warri, said that the deceased were killed from the bullets shot by their gang members.
According to him, the incident occurred on Wednesday at Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.
Mr Edafe explained that the deceased were leading the police surveillance team attached to the Ekpan Division to their hideout when they were caught during a shoot-out.
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“The suspects were arrested at Effurun roundabout with a bag containing 57 live cartridges and other items. They were leading the surveillance team to their hideout at Warri/Sapele road when their gang members, on sighting the vehicle of the police team, engaged them in a shootout.During the gun duel, the arrested suspects that were leading the police team were fatally wounded by the gun shot of their colleagues. The two injured suspects were taken to the hospital and later died while receiving treatment,” he said.
Mr Edafe said that items recovered from the hoodlums hideout included: one English pump action gun, one locally made cut-to-size gun and eight live cartridges.
Others were: six iPhones, Smart phones and a Rolex wrist watch.
He said that the command had intensified manhunt on the fleeing members of the gang.
Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police
(NAN)
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