There was pandemonium on Wednesday as policemen attached to the Lagos
State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit and
officials of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme/ Federal Road
Maintenance Agency Task Force clashed in the Toll Gate area of the state.
Over 200 FERMA task force officials were arrested and clamped in three
Black Marias brought by the police into the camp of the federal workers.
It was noted that at about 10.15am, the state task
force, led by the Chairman of the state task force, Bayo Sulaiman, a Chief
Superintendent of Police, stormed the FERMA task force camp.
The policemen fired two tear gas canisters into the camp and followed
them with gun shots.
The action created confusion in the camp, making it easy for the
policemen to arrest some workers constructing a fence in the camp as others
took to their heels.
Some of the federal officers, however, launched a reprisal by throwing
stones and bottles at the policemen.
The state taskforce men responded by firing another round of tear gas
canisters that sent everyone scurrying for safety.
Commuters on the Ketu Ikosi Road, were forced to change direction while
the bombardment lasted.
A few of the FERMA task force men were seen changing into muftis to
avoid being arrested.
It was gathered that the crisis was caused when the
driver of a Sienna vehicle, Timothy Uko, earlier arrested for a traffic offence
in Ketu, drove into the FERMA camp at the Toll Gate area and was shielded from
arrest.
One of the witnesses, who pleaded anonymity, said, “The Lagos State
Traffic Management Authority officials arrested the man for driving on BRT
lane. They handed him over to the task force men.
‘When he drove into the FERMA camp, they were prevented from taking him
away. The policemen called for reinforcement.”
A policeman attached to the task force, however, told our correspondent
that the FERMA men also beat up the policemen that were escorting the driver to
Alausa.
He said, “The FERMA taskforce officials attacked the policemen with
planks and bottles, inflicting injuries on them.”
A FERMA task force official, who identified himself simply as Savage,
described the incident as frightening.
Savage, a graduate of the Lagos State University, said, “I joined the
federal force because I needed a job. The form was free, but the uniform was sold
for N35, 000. We have been training and preparing, but with this attack, I
don’t think I want to continue.”
In his reaction, Sulaiman said, “They beat up our men and held them
hostage. We will not allow them to take over our function. We arrested over 100
of them. If we allow this to go unchecked, it will be worse next time.”
The driver of the Sienna bus said he did not know any FERMA task force
official, but decided to drive into the camp to beg the policemen who arrested
him.
Uko, who was beaten up by the police for causing the crisis, was also
arrested.
Some of the federal task force officials, however, said those that
attacked the policemen had fled and only the innocent ones were being held.
But the National Publicity Director of SURE-P/FERMA Task Force, Mr.
Olawale Oyeboh, described the attack as an invasion by “LASTMA, police and
suspected thugs of the All Progressives Congress”, the ruling party in the
state, adding that it was a continuation of the manner the state greeted the
introduction of the federal task force.
Oyeboh said, “The aggression was planned, they came fully prepared.
Before we knew what was happening, policemen had started firing into the air,
while others fired tear-gas canisters into our compound, giving way for the
thugs to loot our office.”
He added that property worth several millions were destroyed, while the
task force lost about N20m to the looters, saying, “The money was meant to pay
some officials of the task force.”