Residents Cry Out Over Blockage Of Roads By State Task Force

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

The residents of Kolawole Odunsi Street and Unity Road, off Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja have cried out to the Lagos State government to come to their aid over the blockage of the streets aided by the officers of Environment Task Force team.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the aggrieved residents alleged that the officers abandoned their primary duty of ensuring free flow of traffic in line with the present administration’s policy, collected bribe and allowed makeshift kiosks and shops to take over the streets making free movement impossible in the area.

This was contained in the petition dated 25 November, 2017 written by their solicitor, Barrister Gabriel Giwa-Amu and addressed to the Head of Corps Marshal of the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps, Bolade Oshodi and copied to the Governor, State House of Assembly and other agencies.

In the letter titled: Unlawful obstruction of Kolawole Odunsi Street and Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos by Mechanics, Food vendors, Artisans and Miscreants, allegedly led by Elder Folorunsho Olowolayemo and Ajani Oyedeji, the residents complained that the roads were blocked thereby impeding easy flow of traffic and was aided by the officials of the Environmental Task Force.

The residents also alleged that the environmental officers were not only aiding criminal activities in the area, but had been collecting bribe to encourage illegal and criminal activities in the area unchecked.
The residents revealed that the  officers usually came to the area to allegedly collect bribe of N45,000 and N25,000 respectively from the mechanics and food vendors they had rented out the makeshift kiosks and shops to every Thursday. They also alleged that the officers used to collect settlement from miscreants who operate illicit activities on the said roads daily.

The residents hinted that in the past that stolen vehicles and other items had been recovered and the cases were taken to Area F Command, Ikeja for investigation and prosecution, but the hoodlums were allowed to return to the area after greasing the palms of the task force officials.

They therefore urged the governor and other agencies to investigate the allegation and bring the officers in question who were aiding the illegal activities to book.

P.M.EXPRESS went to the area to ascertain the allegation of illegal activities and blockage of the roads and confirmed that such activities were going on there daily.

Efforts to speak with the Commander of the task force team on the matter failed after several attempts.