CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

The Area Commander, Zone D Command, Mushin, Lagos ACP Akinbayo Olasoji has been enmeshed in controversy after some armed men raided Ladipo Market at night, carted away about 15 vehicles and escaped.

Some of the stolen vehicles were traced to the Command. It was gathered that while the unidentified suspects were trying to escape, the security men in the market and some traders around the market mobilised and went after them. But to the greatest surprise of the traders, the suspects diverted some of the vehicles to Area D Command and escaped.

The incident happened at Odo Aladura popularly known as Bakassi, where those vehicles were parked by some importers for refurbishment and sale. The angry traders alleged that the people that came for the operation were robbers but the action of the police was only giving them cover, suggesting that they were working together to commit criminal acts.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that some suspects had gone to the garage around 1.00am on Thursday when the traders had left the market. They shot sporadically to scare the security men and the traders who were around as they pretended to be police.

The suspects reportedly  climbed the fence into the compound, broke the gate keys from inside and carried the exotic vehicles parked there with toying vans. Some of the vehicle owners and traders who spoke to P.M.EXPRESS said it was pure armed robbery and the police knew the suspects but were protecting them.

The aggrieved traders said that when they got information about what happened at the market in the night, they went to Oshodi thinking it was the task force that did it. The task force members denied and said they could not have done such operation in the night.

They also contacted Alausa, the seat of government and it was the same answer that they were not aware of such operation and the manner it was carried out.
When they eventually went to the police to report the robbery, the police said they were not aware of the such operation but said they will investigate.

However, one of the vehicle owners saw where his own vehicle was parked at the Zone D  Command, Mushin and other vehicles were later found where they were hidden. P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the traders were yet to come to terms with what happened. The questioned the motive and denial by the police if actually it was genuine operation.

The bone of contention now is that some of the vehicles owners wanted to report case as armed robbery but the police declined and claimed it was a case of obstruction of traffic. It was also learnt that the police was asking the owners to pay between N50,000 and N100,000 for each vehicle and threatened  to permanently seize the vehicles and convert it to their use.

When our correspondent contacted the Area Commander, he did not pick his phone. A visit to the Zone D Command, Mushin, confirmed that Olasoji was not around to comment.
However, some of the vehicles were still parked there and negotiations were going on. Police sources confirmed that  some vehicles were seized but could not say if they were from robbers or from Ladipo Market.
The Lagos State Police  public Relation Officer, PPRO Mr. Famous Cole did not pick his phone called when contacted.