Lagos Task Force Threatened to Kill Us in Osun Forest, Victims Allege

Some victims have narrated how officials of the Lagos State Task Force threatened to kill them in Osun Forest after they were allegedly arrested in the Marina area of ​​the state and later dumped in Ilesha Forest, Osun State, the Saturday.

The state government had promised to clamp down on miscreants across the state after discovering around 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, the government carried out an ongoing operation to address the security risk in Lagos caused by the influx of hoodlums, beggars and homeless people in different parts of the state.

Omotoso further stated that some suspects were arrested under the Dolphin Bridge and some asked for help to travel to their various hometowns, while others were undergoing rehabilitation due to their health condition.

“As part of the exercise, 450 criminals were rescued over the weekend. Of them, 371 asked for help to move to their different states due to the difficulties they face in Lagos; “79 of them have been absorbed by some government centers for rehabilitation after showing signs of unrest,” the commissioner said partially on Sunday.

The victims said Meter at once On Sunday, after escaping from Ilesha forest, they were arrested without proper investigation and found themselves in Osun, where they were threatened with being killed if they refused to cooperate with them.

While recounting their ordeals, they told our correspondents that there were around 500 of them, including people with disabilities, crammed in cramped conditions inside the chartered bus provided by the state government to the forest.

One of the victims who said he sold phone accessories in the Marina area of ​​Lagos, Miracle Chukwu, claimed that he was not allowed to speak before being pushed onto the bus and that officials threatened to shoot anyone who disobeyed them in the forest. .

“I was returning from where I was selling phone accessories in CMS area around 11 am, so some task force officials and police officers stopped me and forced me into their Black Maria vehicle. They beat me and took my bag, which contained my iPhone XR, more than 20,000 naira and my house key.

“That night they arrested innocent people, took me to the Leon 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 with disabilities and a lot of traders. in all types of businesses in Lagos.

“There were about 500 of us who were arrested. The bus dropped us in a forest in Ilesha, asked us to enter the forest and swore to kill anyone who did not cooperate. We stayed in the forest for thirty minutes before leaving. We were begging people to help us until we reached the Lagos-Ibadan expressway; It was the brother of one of us who came to rescue us,” Chukwu narrated.

A job seeker, Arius Awodeji, who identified himself as a resident of Lagos, said they were deceived because they were heading to Ikeja to see the governor, but surprisingly met in the forest.

“I’m still looking for a new job. I decided to stay in the Navy with my friends. On Thursday I went to watch a football match, so I decided to rest at the Town Hall, in front of the Oando gas station. Then I fell asleep with my bag on my head because I was still looking for a job. Around 2:42 am, I looked at the time and saw three flashlights pointed at my eyes.

“We stayed up all night without eating. Around 10:30 p.m. they brought luxury buses to pick us up and gave us a packet of rice and a bag of water. Around 4:30 am we had already reached Osun State.

“They ordered everyone to get off and run towards the mountain without looking back, so they wouldn’t shoot us. We found it difficult to find our way back because we were walking, but I was lucky to see someone who helped take me to Ibadan,” Awodeji said.

Another victim, Peter Ocheja, said he was wrongfully arrested on his way to work and had no choice but to follow the directives of the task force in Osun forest for fear of harm.

“I am based in Onikan, Lagos. I was going to work in the morning and saw the task force officers and police officers in Black Maria. They asked me to get into the vehicle. I told them I should call my family, but they refused and said it would be until I got to where I was going.

“They threatened to waste our lives if we did not cooperate with them. They took us to Ilesha in Osun State. We arrived around 4 am. They then asked us to get off while they whipped us and told us to walk towards the forest. They said they would shoot anyone who dared to look back,” Ocheja said.

Meanwhile, the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, said his Lagos State, Babjide Sanwo-Olu, had told him that he did not authorize the repatriation of youths believed to be indigenes of Osun to their home state from Lagos.

Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke’s spokesperson, said in a statement on Monday that the governor urged his Lagos State counterpart to investigate the matter and put an end to the incident.

Adeleke’s reaction came immediately after a report on several luxury buses seen dropping off hundreds of youths at various points in the Ilesa area of ​​the state from various parts of Lagos State.

The statement read: “I spoke to my brother, Governor Sanwo-Olu, about the matter. He too was shocked and denied ever authorizing such action. Governor Sanwo-Olu has promised an immediate investigation to clarify the facts of the situation. The Lagos team will update us as quickly as possible.

“Subsequently, I am 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 remain calm while security agencies conduct surveillance.”

Omotoso did not pick up his phone when our correspondent dialed his mobile number to comment on Adeleke’s statement at the time this report was filed.