Hoodlums Attack Lagos Task Team on Cleanup Exercise of Tin Can Port Corridor

 News

Hoodlums allegedly linked to one of the maritime groups have attacked officials of the task team constituted by the Lagos State government during the clearance exercise to open up the clogged Tin Can port access roads yesterday.

The task team comprises the Lagos State Truck and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Police.

The task team had on Monday embarked on the exercise to open up inbound section of the Tincan Port access road that has been clogged to road users as part of efforts to ensure free flow of traffic, enhance trade facilitation and seamless evacuation of cargoes from Tincan Port.

The team continued the exercise on Tuesday to create and implement a single-lane policy for truck movement to allow access for other road users.

Officials of the team alleged that barely five minutes into the commencement of the exercise from Tin Can second gate, thugs allegedly belonging to one of the Unions, led by one Taofeek popularly known as Tao disrupted the operation.

The thugs attacked members of LASTMA, POLICE, NPA LASTCOC that came to open up the Tincan corridor, just as Taofeek allegedly threw keg of fuel at members of the task team to set them ablaze.

During the incident, an official of LASTMA sustained injury and lost his phone, while the thug attempted to snatch riffle from a member of the road clearance exercise team but was overpowered and taken to Task force office at oshodi. 

The road clearance team tactically withdraw from Tincan port gate to prevent total break down of law and order and high casualties.

Recall that there have been disunity among transport and maritime workers union on the menace of the gridlock on the Tincan and Apapa port access road, especially the extortion of truckers.

While it is alleged that some of the union are associated with the extortion of truckers and causing feud, the Federal and State government constituted task teams of security operatives to address the issue, which did not achieve result.

The effort to clear the roads of indiscriminate parking of trucks, tankers and checkpoints to promote ease of doing business, trade facilitation and seamless evacuation of cargoes from the Tincan Port corridor have continued to be sabotaged.

To finally address the issue, the Lagos State government constituted the Lagos State Truck and Cargo Operators Committee, comprising members of the different maritime transport unions to help the security agencies salvage the situation.

The committee vowed to end the harassment and extortions of truckers as well and bring sanity to the port access roads.