Lagos State Chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decried what it termed the recurrent incidents of unwarranted harassment of innocent members of the public by certain agents of the State government under the guise of maintaining law and order, saying that such development had, in some cases, tragically resulted in the loss of innocent lives.
PDP expressed this concern on Sunday in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Hon. Hakeem Amode, a copy of which was made available to newsmen, even as it noted that while it was unquestionably the responsibility of law enforcement agencies and officers to uphold law and order in society, it was quite “imperative that these individuals do not overstep their bounds in the execution of their duties.”
Citing a recent distressing report of Lagos State Taskforce officer fatally shooting dead a truck driver in the Mile 2 area which the Agency had since denied the involvement of any of its officers, claiming that none of its personnel was posted out for environmental or traffic operations that particular day “except for officers posted to Freedom Park, Ojota, and Maryland to maintain peace and orderliness where a rally by the Nigerian Labour Congress has been scheduled,” and a trending video depicting a woman whose vehicle was immobilized in front of a supermarket in the Allen Avenue area by law enforcement officers, despite her not obstructing traffic or causing any disturbance, PDP wondered why the state government would oppose the very people who entrusted them with their votes in the first place.
The party posited that, while the government may attempt to claim ignorance or shield its agents from accountability, however, pointed out that the truth cannot remain concealed indefinitely, declaring that “the use of lethal force in the name of restoring on our roads” could not be justified as such actions were unacceptable and ran counter to the principles of a democratic government.
PDP, while acknowledging that law enforcement agencies and officers had the responsibility to uphold law and order in society, and should also not overstep their bounds in the execution of their duties, however, maintained that it stands in solidarity with Lagosians “in calling for a restraint on the excesses exhibited by various law enforcement agencies operating within our region.”
“In other parts of the world, government agents are held accountable to the rule of law when interacting with citizens. We are not advocating for disorder; rather, we demand that justice and fairness prevail at all times,” the party said.
“How can one defend an officer’s action in shooting an unarmed driver or immobilizing a vehicle parked in a supermarket’s car park?” it queried.
Speaking further, the opposition party said incidents like those cited had led many residents to call for the dissolution of the Agency responsible for traffic control in the state, urging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to demonstrate that it was indeed a government of the people by addressing the unjust treatment of innocent residents in the state.
“It is perplexing that our state is burdened with numerous government agencies causing disruptions when we are not under military rule.
“We urge the state government to instruct its law enforcement agencies to exercise restraint and treat citizens with respect. These very individuals are the ones who endure exploitation at the hands of state security agencies,” PDP said.
“In a democratic setting, this is not the way to govern a state. We sincerely hope the state government will heed this call and rectify any shortcomings, for one cannot have their cake and eat it too.
“The residents of our state already face significant challenges stemming from the removal of fuel subsidies by the APC-led Federal Government, among other policy changes since 2015. These events have made the perceived errors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government from 1999 to 2015 appear trivial by comparison.
“We declare that enough is enough in the centre of excellence,” it added.
It would be recalled that the Chairman, Lagos State Taskforce, Shola Jejeloye, had washed the Agency’s hands off the Mile 2 killing, saying that none of its officers were posted out that particular day for environmental or traffic operations.
“The attention of the Lagos State Taskforce has been drawn to a report making rounds that officials of the agency were involved in the killing of an unidentified individual along Mile 2 axis this morning,” the statement reads.
“The agency would like to clearly state that none of its personnel were posted out for operations today except for officers posted to Freedom Park, Ojota, and Maryland to maintain peace and orderliness where a rally by the Nigerian Labour Congress has been scheduled,” he said.
The Taskforce boss, in a statement made available to newsmen by the Agency’s spokesperson, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, stated that Taskforce officers were often mistaken for other enforcement units, asserting that its personnel were clearly adorned in tactical jackets with the word “Taskforce” clearly inscribed in front and behind with unique identification numbers.
Jejeloye, therefore, urged those pointing accusing fingers at the Agency to further beam their searchlight on other “public or private establishments who branded their enforcement units as taskforce,” just as he vowed that the Agency would do all within its power to get to the root of the matter and ensure that perpetrators of the crime were brought to book.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
