Police, task force clash vindicates us, says Lagos APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has said the clash between the Police and members of the Federal Task Force in Ojota, Lagos, has vindicated its earlier stance that the “so-called task force is a group of hoodlums assembled by inordinate individuals to disrupt the peace and progress of Lagos”. The party said the existence of the task force will impede the peace and progress of Lagos and called for its immediate disbandment. In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, APC said the formation of the task force was “purely political as it has no legal or statutory backing”. It urged Lagosians to be vigilant and report the activities of the task force to security agencies, adding that Lagos is prepared to deal with “this political nuisance”. APC said: “We recall that we earlier called attention to the existence of this so called task force in a Federal Roads Management Agency (FERMA) facility in Ojota, Lagos, some weeks ago. We pointed out the inordinate mission of the task force, which is the recruitment of hoodlums to leverage mayhem in Lagos in the guise of securing federal roads in Lagos. “We have alleged that this was the resurrection of the FERMA thugs the erstwhile Minister of Works, Adeseye Ogunlewe, recruited when he presided over the complete ruination of Nigerian roads while being fixated with disrupting the relative peace and progress Lagos was then making. “We recall that FERMA was to deny being behind this task force some days after our allegation but no one has come to claim being behind this task force. This group has attached SURE-P/FERMA task force to its name even as there is no proof of legal backing behind it and even after it had been proved it exists only in Lagos. “We recall that last week, Lagos Police Commissioner declared the task force illegal. We note the spirited effort by those alleged to have packaged that illegal task force to disown the group, even when no effort had been made to stop its illegal operations.”