MC Oluomo, Istijaba factions clash again

*Alhaji Azeez Abiola and Alhaji Musliu Akinsanya.

AGAIN, loyalists of the suspended Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in Lagos State, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya popularly known as MC Oluomo and Chairman, Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria TOOAN, Alhaji Azeez Abiola, popularly known as Istijaba, clashed again over the management of various tricycle parks in the state,

The clashes assumed another dimension, yesterday, as there were shootings at Ekoro, Kola, Mosalasi, Command, Ajasa, Meiran and Abule-Egba areas of the state as commuters and residents scampered for safety while activities in the areas were paralysed for hours.

Eye witnesses’ account said property, worth millions of Naira, were destroyed.

It was gathered that about 30 commercial vehicles were damaged by the warring parties.

Narrating the situation, a transporter at Meiran, Samuel Benedict said: “The constant clashes in the area have resulted in hoodlums having their field day by extorting and harassing the transporters. Istijaba’s faction collects N800 daily as stipulated by TOOAN, while MC Oluomo’s faction has no specific fee as they collect their daily fee based on their mood. Failure to comply, may amount to harassment.

Reacting to the clashes, Istijaba said so far, he lost property worth over N80million to the clashes.

Istijaba said: "Over 20 vehicles including cars, buses and tricycles were destroyed on Sunday between Abule-Egba and Oshodi while millions of naira were carted away when the rival group attacked my pump station on AIT Road, Agbado-Ijaiye area.

‘’While the attack on my filling station took place over the weekend, the rival group went to the house of one of my loyalists, on Friday night and stabbed him severally while they traced another of my loyalists to Ifo in Ogun State and hacked him to death.”

Efforts to reach Alhaji Akinsanya were unsuccessful as calls put across to him were unanswered.

Spokesperson of the Lagos Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin urged residents to go about their businesses peaceably.

Ondo youths protest killing of community chief, 2 others at police checkpoint

The corpses of a community chief and two others allegedly crushed to death at a police check-point in Odigbo council area of Ondo State were dumped at the Police Divisional Headquarters, Kajola by protesting youths, weekend.

The victims, who were reportedly killed while on a motorcycle and heading home from their farms, include the chief of Korede village, Kola Akinduro, David Olowofeyekun and Gbenga Abayomi.

The youths, who threatened to burn the police station over the alleged killings, declared that they do not want to see policemen in the community henceforth following the killings at the police checkpoints along Lagos/Benin Expressway.

An eyewitness revealed that the police officers in the community were extorting and harassing the residents of the areas at the checkpoint.

The eyewitness, Funmi Olowogboye, said the police stopped the deceased at the checkpoint, Saturday evening, and while trying to halt an on-coming Hilux van, the driver manoeuvred to dodge the police and ran into the motorcycle.

“The Hilux driver crushed the three victims on the motorcycle where they were parking at the instruction of the police officers, who wanted to collect money from them," the eyewitness said.

The community leader, Chief Oloruntobi Maiyegun, said he had to mobilise the personnel of Amotekun and other security agencies to the scene to forestall break down of law and order adding that he had to appeal to the youths not to burn down the police station.

Acting on a security report, the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, reportedly deployed the Amotekun personnel to the troubled community.

Also, the state Police Commissioner, Oyeyemi Oyediran visited the community to calm the frayed nerves and appealed to the angry youths for peace.

Contacted, the state police spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, absolved the police of complicity, noting that the deceased flouted the traffic law and incidentally had an accident.

Odunlami said: “It was not due to the recklessness of the police officers, they took one way and they had an accident. So there was no way the police can be reckless in a situation where there is a route to take and they took another one.

“Of course, it was an oncoming vehicle that they collided with and died, it was not police recklessness."

NDLEA seizes cocaine in teabags, arrests 4 traffickers at Lagos, Abuja airports

Operatives of  the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have foiled a fresh attempt by Brazil-based drug cartel to smuggle cocaine into Nigeria in teabags.

Director, Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, stated in Abuja, yesterday, that the latest attempts were foiled at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. He stated that at least four traffickers were in custody over their attempts to smuggle illicit drugs into or outside Nigeria last week.

He added that one of the traffickers, 33-year-old Pascal Okolo, was arrested at the Abuja airport on April 17.

Okolo, an indigene of Ihe in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, was arrested during an inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Okolo who claimed to be into wine business in Brazil was arrested with a bag containing different medicinal teabags, which were used to conceal 4.1 kilogrammes of cocaine.

Babafemi said: “On the same day, a Canada-based Nigerian, Anigo Godspower was intercepted at the Lagos airport during an inward clearance of passengers also  on Qatar Airways from Sao Paolo.

“When his luggage was searched, two blocks of cocaine with a total weight of 2.1 kilogrammes were discovered.

“Fifty-two-year-old Godspower, an indigene of Udi council area also in Enugu State claimed he operated an unregistered Bureau de Change business before delving into illicit drug trade.” 

He added that NDLEA operatives also foiled an attempt to smuggle 950grams of heroin concealed in the soles of ladies’ footwear out of Nigeria through the cargo shed at the Lagos airport. 

Two suspects linked to the crime were arrested.

“Those arrested on April 16 and April 17 in connection with attempts to export the heroin to Monrovia, are Idokoja Chukwurah and Patrick Tochukwu,” Babafemi stated.

Culled from Vanguard