Structures and agents of the Lagos State government have lately witnessed several attacks in the hands of people suspected to be Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members operating under the guise of different acronyms. A case at hand is the lingering crisis between the officials of Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), and men of the Federal Ministry of Works, through the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) over the issue of federal roads in the state.
The latest of such attacks which has taken a new twist was unlashed last Tuesday, when persons believed to be miscreants, claiming to be FERMA agents stormed and disrupted normal activities at the City Hall secretariat of the Lagos Island West Local Government one of the newly created councils, with the council chairman, Mrs Derin Disu, allegedly assaulted physically in the process.
Six officials of the council also sustained various degrees of injuries. They were rushed to the General Hospital, Lagos for prompt medical attention. There had been two similar attacks on Shomolu and Kosofe local government councils during which scores of council officials were inflicted with various degrees of injuries.
However, the woman at the receiving end of the recent attack, Mrs Disu, who is recovering from the shock of the ordeal while narrating the incident to Sunday Vanguard, accused a former aspirant of the PDP and now Special Assistant to the Minister of Works, Mr. Saheed Salawe of storming her office with about 100 miscreants claiming to be agents of the Federal Government, saying that the councillors of the council must stay away from everything and anything on which the Federal Government has laid claims. Excerpts:
What struck you when the council secretariat was attacked?
I was alarmed because of the previous indication of hostilities that we have been experiencing on the Island. Prior to that incident, our car parks and toilets had been forcefully taken over by this same intruders. They had driven away the rightful collectors of revenue. So on seeing them, my first impression was one of bad vibrations. Bad signals. I hope they are not bringing the fight to our doorsteps. Just before they came in, one of the councillors was saying to me that if we are not careful, this DPD/FERMA boys will put a signboard at the door of the council saying that it is a Federal Government property. I was alarmed.
Did you suspect that there was a set-up?
Yes, it seems strange to me that Saheed Salawe who claimed not to recognize me as chairman and who claimed not to recognize the council will just come in here. Is it not a set up? More so we were sitting here discussing the subject.
Myself, the councillors, supervisory councillors and the secretary of the Local Government. Is this not a set up? What we were discussing related to the ongoing hostility and obstruction on Marina and the rest of Lagos Island.
Please tell us how you were attacked?
On July 27, at about 1.30p.m., hoodlums wearing the yellow jackets of FERMA, led by Saheed Salawe, who claims to be Special Assistant to the Minister of Works, invaded the Council Secretariat with cutlasses and dangerous weapons.
They came into the office and physically assaulted us. If not for the intervention of councillors and council officials, I wonder what would have happened to my life. We promptly reported to the Police at the Lion building and they promptly came to our rescue. The hoodlums were really undeterred given their utterances. On the 28th, they regrouped under Saheed Salawe's leadership and stormed Marina car park with guns and cutlasses.
They damaged properties and wounded council officials on their lawful duties. On the first day, they inflicted a lot of injuries on NULGE officials during the rampage. It was a full house that day. They disrupted the Workers forum going on in the Banquet Hall.
The new Head of Service was there but had barely left when they invaded the place. So what happened was that a lot of NULGE members in their NULGE ceremonial uniform were injured by this cutlass wielding; axe carrying men dressed in FERMA reflective jackets. I was up here with an appreciable number of them. Looking down, there were hundreds downstairs and this council was held hostage for over two hours. He, Salawe further said the local government was not recognized and certainly that he does not recognize me as the chairman. Their grouse, according to him, was that we are on Federal Government properties.
This took us by surprise. They have forcefully taken over our finances. The collection areas are meant for the councils. It is a known fact as was said in the 4th schedule of the Constitution –– Public Highways, markets, car parks, motor parks are the constitutional responsibilities of the Local Governments.
