CDHR threatens mass action against Task Force’s alleged illegal activities

COMMITTEE for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has threatened to take mass action against the Lagos State government over what it termed the unwholesome and illegal activities of the Lagos State Task Force.

This was just as CDHR called on the Lagos government to immediately investigate a recent happening in the state precisely on 17th of May where men of the Task Force allegedly engaged to some thugs to invade the motorcycle operators in Suberu Oje Unit Casso Park, ordered those thugs to molest whoever refused to surrender his motorcycle at the end of which a total of 36 motorcycles were carted away by the agency’s operatives.

Coordinator of the group, Comrade Titilayo Odubanjo, gave the threat at a press conference, saying there was the urgent need of the outgoing and incoming government in Lagos State to regulate and check the excesses of the State Task Force.

Odubanjo, while noting that CDHR had been receiving petitions upon petitions on the activities of the Task Force from members of the public, said the group was resolved in furthering the course of rule of law which the government had equally vowed to uphold in the state.

According to her, it was in pursuant to this that it called the press conference to look into the activities of the agency which he said amounted to an abuse of office and violation of the hallowed principles of rule of law.

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“We have been receiving petitions upon petitions on the activities of the Lagos State government Task Force from members of the public.

“We are interested in furthering the course of rule of law in Lagos which the government has vowed to uphold and it is in pursuant to this that we call this conference to look into the activities of Lagos State Task Force which similarly amount to abuse of office and violation of the hallowed principles of rule of law,” CDHR boss said.

Comrade Odubanjo said the CDHR would not fold its arms to the activities of the State Task Force, warning that it would be left with no option than to embark on mass action should the authorities involved refuses to deliver justice within space of 48 hours in respect of the total of 36 okadas carted away by operatives of the agency.

“We shall be left with no option should the authorities involved refuses to deliver justice within space of 48 hours on the motorcycles carted away otherwise we shall take mass action to protest to the government.

“With every change of Administration, the problem always becomes aggravated. We, however, call on the outgoing and incoming government to bring the perpetrators of these illegal and unwarranted activities to book,” she said.

When contacted, spokesperson of the agency, Mr Taofiq Adebayo, denied that Task Force operatives invaded the said park with thugs, saying that they went instead to enforce the Lagos State government traffic laws.

“We did invade anywhere with thugs, it was not true. Anywhere we went, we went strictly to enforce the Lagos State Government Traffic Laws and no more no less,” Adebayo said, even as he listed those laws to include not allowing Okada riders ply on restricted routes numbering about 375, driving with helmets, not allowing riders to carry pregnant women, among others.