NPA Boss Visits Slain LASTMA Official’s Family
Eromosele Abiodun
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA , Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, Friday in Lagos paid a condolence visit to the family of a commander of the Lagos State Transport Management Agency LASTMA, Mr. Bakare Olatunji, who was lynched by an irate mob in Apapa recently.
Bala-Usman, who visited the family with some officials of the NPA gave the widow of the deceased, Mrs Fatimat Bakare undisclosed sum of money for her children’s upkeep.
She also called on the Lagos state government and the Nigerian police to ensure that the perpetrators of the heinous act are brought to book.
The visibly moved Bala-Usman said: “We felt the need in the authority to come and extend condolence to the family of the LASTMA official that died in the course of active duty. He was on active duty in the Apapa port area and as the landlord of the area we decided to come and visit the family. It is important that officers who die in active service are accorded the needed respect by government and organisations. We believe that nobody should be treated the way he was treated; we call on the Nigerian police to ensure that justice is done. Nobody should be killed in the manner that this young man was killed; this is unacceptable in any society.
“We will stand by the family to ensure that they are doing well. I encourage the Lagos State Government and the Nigerian police at large to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice so this people will be discouraged from taking the laws into their hands. The long arms of the law should get to anyone who does this kind of a thing like this. If not checked other officers will be discouraged from carrying out their duty. So it is important that an example is showed and let everyone know that this kind of behaviour is not welcomed in our country. The NPA will further enhance the security around the port and ensure miscreants around that area are shown the way out.”
The widow, Mrs. Fatimat Bakare, thanked the NPA for assisting the deceased’s family, adding that the gesture has strengthened her believe that her husband did not die in vain.
“I want to say a big thank you to the NPA. It is painful the way my husband died. To get this assistant from the NPA showed that my husband’s work was greatly valued. It is painful that I only know the worth of my husband after his death. That is very painful…painful. Thank you all I appreciate.
The tearful widow thanked the NPA boss for making out time to visit her and the family, while praying in tears.
The CEO of LASTMA, AIG Chris Olakpe, who condemned the incident, said the LASTMA official was carrying out lawful duty when he was murdered.
‘’He was rendering service to the state and the country at large. We have sworn that we will get to the bottom of it. The governor of Lagos state made sure that the police was well empowered to get to the root of it and we are grateful that two arrests have been made and we have put everything in place to get other accomplices. We want to let the members of the public know that this is not an animal kingdom, such acts will be severely punished no matter who is involved.
He urged the late Bakare’s wife to administer the money given to her by the NPA with the fear of God and put her children’s education first.
He thanked the NPA boss and her management for the kind gesture while urging other organisation to emulate the NPA.
The late Olatunji, who was the zonal head of the agency in the Apapa area, had led a team of officials to the area in a patrol van to arrest erring motorists when he was killed.
It was gathered that tanker drivers, who parked their vehicles on the road fled on sighting the enforcement agents.
The LASTMA van was said to have ran into an assistant driver (motor boy) while he struggled to escape arrest.
The boy, whose name had yet to be ascertained, was reportedly sleeping by the roadside.
He died on the spot.
Angered by the boy’s death, his friends were said to have regrouped and went on the rampage, killing Olatunji in the process.
