Some residents of Lagos State who were forcefully evacuated from the State and dumped in Osun have narrated their ordeals in the hands of some officials of the Lagos State Task Force who superintended their forceful evacuation.
The victims said the officials threatened to kill them if they refused to cooperate with them, after being dumped inside a forest in Ilesa, Osun State, on Sunday.
The victims were arrested at the Marina area of Lagos State where they were conveyed in some buses to Osun on Saturday.
The Lagos State government had vowed to clamp down on miscreants across the state after it uncovered about 86 partitioned rooms, measuring 10×10 and 12×10, being used as makeshift apartments under the Dolphin Bridge.
According to the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, an ongoing operation was undertaken by the government to tackle the security risk in Lagos which was caused by the influx of miscreants, beggars, and the destitute in different parts of the state.
Omotoso further stated that some suspects were arrested under the Dolphin Bridge, and some pleaded for assistance to relocate to their various hometowns, while others were in rehabilitation due to their medical state.
“As part of the exercise, 450 miscreants were rescued at the weekend. Of the lot, 371 pleaded for assistance to relocate to their various States due to the hardship they are facing in Lagos; 79 have been absorbed into some government facilities for rehabilitation after showing signs of being unwell,” the Commissioner partly said on Sunday.
However, some of the victims while speaking with newsmen after escaping from Ilesa forest where they dumped them, said they were arrested without proper investigation.
According to the victims, about 500 of them, including people living with disabilities were arrested and jam-packed in cramped conditions inside chartered buses provided by the state government and taken to the forest.
One of the victims, Miracle Chukwu, who said he was selling phone accessories at the Marina area of Lagos, claimed he was not allowed to speak before being pushed into the bus, adding that the officials threatened to shoot anyone who disobeyed them in the forest.
He said: “I was coming back from where I was selling phone accessories at the CMS area around 11 a.m., some task force officials and police officers stopped me and forced me into their Black Maria vehicle. They beat me up and collected my bag, which contained my iPhone XR, over N20,000, and my house key.
“That night, they arrested innocent people. They took me to the Lion Building, and then transferred us to Elemoro Police Station, Area J. They ordered a bus to pick us up and take us to Osun State, including people living with disabilities and a lot of traders in all kinds of businesses in Lagos.
“We were about 500 that they arrested. The bus dropped us at a forest in Ilesa, and the officials asked us to enter the bush. They threatened to kill anyone who did not cooperate with them.
“We stayed in the forest for thirty minutes before we came out. We were begging people to help us until we got to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; it was the sibling of one of us who came to rescue us.”
Another victim, Arius Awodeji, who claimed to be a job seeker, said they were deceived by the officals who told them that they were heading to Ikeja to see the Governor.
“I am searching for a new job. I decided to stay in the Marina with my friends. On Thursday, I went to watch a football match, so I decided to rest at the Local Government council, in the front of Oando filling station. Then, I slept off with my bag on my head. Few hours later, I saw three flashlights pointed at my eyes. I was arrested with some others.
“They later brought luxury buses to pick us up, and they gave us a pack of rice and a sachet of water. Around 4:30 a.m., we had already got to Osun State.
“They instructed everyone to alight and run into the bush without looking back, so we would not end up being shot. We found it hard to locate our way back because we were trekking, but I was fortunate to see someone who helped me with a lift to Ibadan,” Awodeji said.
Another victim, Peter Ocheja, said he was arrested unjustly on his way to work, saying he had no choice but to follow the directives of the task force officials in the Osun forest because of the fear of being harmed.
“I am based in Onikan, Lagos. I was going to work in the morning when I saw the task force officials and police officers in Black Maria. They asked me to enter the vehicle. I told them that I needed to call my family, but they refused and said it would be until I got to where I was going.
“They threatened that they would waste our lives if we did not cooperate with them. We were taken to Ilesa in Osun State. We got there around 4 a.m. They asked us to alight while flogging us and instructed us to walk into the forest. They said they would shoot anyone who dared look back,” Ocheja said.
Meanwhile, Governor Ademola Adeleke has directed security agencies in the state to mount surveillance in and around Ilesa to track the deported youths and their destinations.
Adeleke, in a statement by his Spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, urged his Lagos State counterpart, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to look into the matter and put an end to the incident.
The Governor said Sanwo-Olu told him that he didn’t authorise the repatriation of youths believed to be indigenes of Osun to their state of origin from Lagos.
He said: “I spoke with my brother, Governor Sanwo-Olu, on the matter. He too was surprised, and he denied ever authorising any such action. Governor Sanwo-Olu has promised an immediate investigation to unravel the facts of the situation. The Lagos team will update us as quickly as possible.
“I am subsequently directing our security agencies in Osun to mount surveillance in and around Ilesa to track the deported youths and their destinations. I will update our people on this development. I urge residents to be calm while the security agencies carry out surveillance.”
@Osun Defender
