…as hoodlums attack LASTCOC officials
A scene of turmoil unfolded at the Coconut Tin-Can Island Port as a group of hoodlums launched a violent attack on members of the Lagos State Cargo and Transport Committee (LASTCOC), resulting in one fatality and multiple injuries.
Confirming the incident, Mr. Seyi Adekanbi, a committee member, explained that they were present at the Tin-Can port to inform users about the necessity of clearing the roads for upcoming rehabilitation works on the Ijora end of the port access roads.
Although the identity of the deceased remains unconfirmed at this time, Adekanbi stated that the body has been transported to the mortuary.
Vanguard reports that he recounted how, shortly after their arrival, a group of hoodlums and extortionists armed with various weapons, including firearms, knives, and machetes, launched an attack, perceiving the committee’s presence as a threat to their illegal toll collection from trucks.
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Further corroborating the situation, Mr. Adeyinka Aroyewun, President of the Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations (COMTUA), attributed the attack to the ongoing rivalry among trucking groups vying for dominance in collecting illicit tolls.
He said: “It is not in doubt that LASTCOC went to Tin-can but met with resistance. We have made calls to the government and security agencies about the activities of this group (LASTCOC), especially their desperation to impose an illegal ticket on truckers.
“We advised that it may lead to a crisis and economic hardship. We emphasized the illegal status of this committee, but they are emboldened by the assurances extracted by their sponsors in the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation.
“That rates, levies, and taxes require legislation makes no sense to the group.
How else can we describe a group that has taken laws into their own hands? Falsely going around arresting people for the same offense they have committed, are committing, or intend to commit. There is only one police force in Nigeria, so for anybody to assume this posture is reckless and can lead to breaches of public peace, just as it has happened in Tincan.
“The committee has been committing criminal infractions, and their sponsors have been shielding them.
“They go about obstructing traffic by turning trucks of members in the opposing camp to theirs under the guise of checking call-up documents.
“While other trucks are obeying regulations and queuing for turns, they fly trucks directly to the Tin-Can port.
“The MPS park, where over a hundred pieces of fake number plates were discovered with illegal NPA stickers, is managed by the treasurer of the group, Alh Rasaki Igbalaye.
“Going about in connivance with some paid officers to arrest pseudo-extortionists and mounting their members for the same purpose is their stock in trade.
“A committee of government has created over 30 zones, where over #2 million has been paid by each Zonal chairperson. The group purchased the current status from state officials, and no one is asking questions.
“How else do we describe the audacious stance of an illegal group? On ease of doing business in the port corridor, apart from the statutory wharf landing fee collecting authority, three other committees have been created by the same special adviser to the governor on transportation, with LASTCOC being the most despised to extort money and commit crimes.
“I am using this medium to advise the government and law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate the incident and circumstances leading to deaths and injuries in Tincan in order to discourage similar occurrences in the future.”#Tin-Can