•How NPA Allegedly Fueled The Crisis At Lillypond —Sources
Fresh facts have started emerging about last week’s face-off between some hoodlums and officials of the Lagos state task force on environment at Ijora in Lagos.
The fracas led to the death of one person, while several properties, including vehicles belonging to the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) were either set ablaze or vandalized by the rampaging hoodlums.
The hoodlums were protesting attempts by the government officials to clear shanties around Ijora, especially under the bridge.
Investigations carried out by our correspondents confirmed that, there is a raging cold war between the NPA and the Presidential Task Team on Apapa Traffic Gridlock, headed by Mr Kayode Opeifa (as Vice Chairman).
The NPA has banned the Task Team from the two truck parks at Lillypond Terminal and Tin Can port.
Our correspondents scooped that NPA may have also stopped funding the activities of the Task Team. It was also confirmed that there was an instruction that the Policemen attached to the team had been banned from the Lillypond Truck Park, located in Ijora.
There is currently a battle for the control of the terminal.
At a recent meeting at the instance of the NPA, and attended by truckers and other stakeholders, the Executive Director, Marine and Operations; Dr Sekonti Davies who presided, reportedly directed that the Task Team should not be allowed into the Ijora and Tin Can facilities any longer.
He was quoted as even saying, that not even the Commissioner of Police in the team should be allowed into the two parks
A truck owner who was at the meeting told Shipping Position Daily that the atmosphere at the meeting was charged as the executive director virtually came down on the Task Team, accusing the body of all manners of illegalities.
The meeting held few days before last week’s mayhem. A copy of a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) which emanated from the meeting, and which was sighted by Shipping Position Daily gave credence to the frosty relationship between the NPA and some stakeholders in the management of traffic in Apapa.
The SOP which was signed the Executive Director, Marine and Operations specifically ordered all personnel of the Presidential Task Team out of the truck parks.
A source said that, part of what happened last Thursday was part of the fall-out from the meeting.
Chairman of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMARTO) Chief Remi Ogungbemi, in a chat expressed disappointment over the incidence even as he alleged that this is not the first time the facility is being attacked.
Ogungbemi said it is high time that truckers vacated the NPA facility, because according to him, it was becoming apparent that certain persons have vested interests in the facility which they feel is not being satisfied.
Chief Ogungbemi said some police officers had reportedly led the hoodlums who attacked the NPA facility at Ijora.
“Policemen came there with guns, and they came with some hoodlums who also armed themselves with machete, the policemen started shooting while the hoodlums were using their machetes on truckers, I don’t know what led to this crisis because I was not there, but the picture sent to me and the version of the story I got was in line. I also saw two Hilux Vehicles of NPA that were burnt down”
“I don’t understand why or how police would now be working with hoodlums, and miscreants with machetes, this is an invasion of which the authority should be able to fish out the perpetrators, let them be brought to book”
“Some certain people have vested interests in that terminal, this is the second time within a spate of three weeks, the same people came there to shoot, they even said they killed, though I was not there, they also came with hoodlums and machetes. I think it is high time that truckers vacated the whole area and allow the police to take over the job, because I don’t know why police should be invading the Lillypond terminal”, he concluded.
Also speaking, truckers under the auspices of the Amalgamated Container Truck Owners (ACTO) told Shipping Position Daily in Apapa on Friday, that the burning of the vans and destruction of properties were carried out by some hoodlums who escaped into the Lilypond truck transit park with the hope that they will get the support of the police that were stationed there, but were disappointed as no help came from the officers.
The Chairman of ACTO, Mr. Olaleye Thompson explained that the task force on environment came on the invitation of the Area Commander in charge of Area ‘B’ of the Nigerian Police Force in Apapa, but were attacked by the hoodlum.
Clearing the air on speculations that the police partook in the attack at Lillypond terminal, he said “the burning was not by task force, because I don’t think the policemen can start burning something, maybe it was the Area Boys that escaped into the Lillypond terminal maybe they expected the police officers at Lillypond to protect them when the task force came and they didn’t get the protection they needed, that was why they were destroying the vehicles belonging to the Police”
According to him, “But it has nothing to do with the drivers and the presidential task team, it is just the Lagos task force and hoodlums.”
The Presidential ask team are still working together as a team what I think is that maybe the because the NPA is not supporting them financially again, the only support they are getting is from the Lagos state government. But they are still collecting their allowances”, he said.
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