Document: Gridlock as tankers shut down Apapa road.
….Police van vandalised
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
TRAFFIC may worsen in the coming weeks, as operators and stakeholders in Apapa Ports are currently living in fear, after violent attack on men of the Presidential Task Team on Restoration of Law and Order in Apapa by suspected miscreants, during a surgery.
The episode, it was gathered happened in the weekend around Second Gate, TinCan Island Port, Apapa.
However, eyewitnesses have debunked claims by some groups that a person died as a result of gunshot during the clash, which left functional van of the leader of the task team, destroyed.
The victim was simply identified as Adamu, a truck driver.
It was gathered that the corpse of the truck driver, which was afterwards placed on the vandalised police patrol vehicle in the night, disappeared the next day with no trace till press time.
It wasn’t too clear how the deceased person was shot dead, but an eyewitness informed that some of the aggrieved truck drivers had accused the Policemen of partiality in the release of their operations.
However, there were conflicting reports over the cause of the incident. While a version maintained extortion, others claimed enforcement of traffic decongestion.
According to reports, the attackers were protesting the brazen extortion of truck drivers on endless queue along major connecting roads inward Apapa, Lagos, allegedly being perpetrated by Policemen operating in the region.
Several attempts to find the reaction of the Command Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Superintendent of Police, SP, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on the episode wasn’t effective, but a source close to his office, who confirmed it, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, had been fully briefed, including”the CP is aware of the matter and I think it has been handled.”
Presidential task team’s principle of engagement
Sequel to the latest episode, Vanguard gathered that the Nigeria Port Authority, NPA, in a letter, through the Office of Director, Marine and Operations, Mr. Onari Brown, addressed to Chief Operating Officer, MOB integrated Services, dated August 6, 2020,:titled: RE: Closure of Access Road to Tincan Island Port, Apapa, said clearly obligation of the Presidential task team in maintenance of traffic in the port area and environs.
The letter read in part: “We refer in your letter dated 19th, July, 2020. The Presidential task team and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, have the obligation to maintain law and order ensuring free flow of traffic on every road in Apapa, including the ports.
“The employees of NPA Tincan Island port have duty to ensure roads to the ports are free of gridlock.
“The ongoing road construction by Hitech firm has caused congestion of Tincan, Coconut axes, leaving just the service lane for trucks admission into Tincan Island Port for the previous two months, hence, no truck was allowed to leave the corridor.
“In exactly the same vein, traffic flow through the Apapa-Liverpool Creek Road axis is currently restricted to a lane.It is expedient to sensitise your visitors to corporate in ensuring that this arrangement succeeds to aid operations and the elimination of traffic congestion within the ports and environs.”
Company petition Lagos CP
In response to this clash, Direction of Kenneth Logistics Limited, one of the port operators in the axis, had petitioned Lagos CP, on the need to investigate the incident and take appropriate action to prevent another occurrence.
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Ganiyu, in the petition dated November 20, 2020 and copied Deputy Inspector General of police, DIG, Zone 2, called for full investigation into violent actions orchestrated by a popular gang terrorising the Apapa axis.
The petition read in part:”It’s unfortunate that the efforts to ensure a smooth flow of traffic in Mile-2 Tincan Island, Apapa axis of this state has been hindered by people who should ordinarily join hands with the task team set up by FG to restore sanity on road in Apapa.
“As truck supervisor, I truly appreciate the effort of task team to assist truckers in getting access to the ports and make the environment conducive for users.
“Regrettably, movement in and out of the ports has been on standstill for about a week thereby preventing us from performing our legitimate business.’
“Amid effort by taskteam to clear the road and prevent truckers who were entering the port through illegal means, a group of people led by the gang’s leader (Names withheld) stormed the road at Tincan Island Port, Apapa on Thursday around 5.30 pm after the road had been cleared by task team.
“While on their way back to Mile-2 after the exercise the team was accosted by the gang and subsequently attacked with bottles and other dangerous weapons to the extent of attempting to burn off the police van used for observation. The van was vandalised beyond repairs in the procedure. They also, tried to lynch officials of task team.”
Eyewitnesses account
An eyewitness, Ajose Abdulazeez, a port operator, said:”The trouble started when men of Task team, led by Supol Femi, came at Second Gate to clear traffic, based on invitation of the NPA as the area had been grounded for days due to actions of truckers.
“As usual, in no time, the Presidential task team restored sanity and ensured movement of traffic in the region.
“Having restored normalcy, the team was returning to base when they were accosted by a group of people, popularly called touts, challenging the performance of the task team, claiming it’s their land and the task team should keep off.
“While Supol Femi was attractive to the leader of this group, called Tao, to allow decorum and free flow of traffic in the region, suddenly, other members of the gang began throwing bottles and pebbles in the team.
“In the ensuing melee, everyone ran in different directions for precious lives. Good enough, the task team maintained calm without releasing any tear gas or gun shots into the air.
“The gang tried to burn the police van but failed. In an attempt to escape from the crisis zone the van was stranded since trucks blocked the only exit point. The team had to abandon the van to avoid being lynched by the rampaging miscreants.”
Ismail Oyetunji, a trucker in Tincan Island Park, who also observed the episode commended the way the task team handled the case, saying” it could have been bloody if the task team had responded to the provocation put up by the miscreants.”
When contacted, Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Task Team, comrade Kayode Opeifa, said,”the Commissioner of Police is already handling the case with the view to ensure justice is done.”
Vanguard News Nigeria
