Hoodlums stab task force officials over seized motorcycles

The Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit says two of its officials, Mr. Ogbonna Bernard and Mr. Ibrahim Yusuf have been attacked by commercial motorcyclists and miscreants in the Oyingbo area of the state.

The officials, who are attached to the agency’s Bus Rapid Transit monitoring team led by one ASP Abutu Anthony, were said to have raided the area  on Wednesday and seized motorcycles from errant okadariders.

While Bernard was stabbed in the head and eye, the rampaging motorcyclists reportedly stabbed Yusuf in the leg and stomach in an attempt to recover the impounded motorcycles.

The victims were said to have been admitted to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

The spokesperson for the agency, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, confirmed the attack in a statement, adding that the task force chairman, SP Olayinka Egbeyemi, led another team to the scene of the attack and arrested 20 suspects.

He said, “Motorcycle operators stabbed two paramilitary officers attached to the Lagos State Task Force  BRT monitoring team at Oyingbo towards Iddo in Lagos. Miscreants and motorcycles operators, who mobilised to rescue impounded motorcycles, attacked the operatives. Forty five motorcycles were impounded and 20 suspects, who carried out the attacks, were arrested.

“The chairman had briefed the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, about the incident and the CP directed that the suspects should be charged to court immidiately.”

Meanwhile, operatives of the Lagos State Land Grabbers Committee in conjuction with the task force have also arrested five notorious land grabbers, who had been terrorising residents of Lekki and Ajah areas of Lagos.

The suspects are Ganiyu Owoeye, 42; Sola Adeyemi, 47; Samson Raheem, 35; Kazeem Solude, 41 and Sakiru Ademuyiwa, 27.

Egbeyemi said the committee and the agency acted on a petition by dwellers who had been chased from their various houses by the land grabbers.

He urged members of the public to assist the agency with useful information that would help the government to get rid of land grabbers in the state.

“The leader of the group, Owoeye, who refused to disclose their godfathers, said they had been working around Lekki-Ajah for about 15 years,” the chairman added.