Lagos CP Seeks Collaborative Approach to Tackle Apapa Gridlock

. Urges AP Moller to address the traffic ‘madness’

Ejiofor Alike
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni has called on all relevant stakeholders that transact business around Apapa area of the state to carry out their respective obligations to ease the traffic situation in the area.

Speaking to THISDAY after a recent violent protest against the killing of a truck driver by a policeman attached to one of the banks in the area, Owoseni also charged AP Moller to address what he described as the traffic ‘madness’ in the area, stressing that there is a consensus among the truck drivers that the company is the cause of the gridlock.

The Lagos police boss also appealed to business operators not to go to that axis of Apapa to transact business unless it is absolutely necessary, promising that the Police will continue to carry out their obligations to control the “appalling” traffic situation.

“The trucks are not parked because they like to park like these. The whole of Apapa is more or less not motorable. It is a big challenge. You can see that if you move from here towards Surulere, all the roads have been taken over by the trucks, weakening the bridges as well. Of course, in the course of interacting with them, they have told everybody here that AP Moller is the cause of the problem and that if the system of AP Moller is working as it should work, there shouldn’t be this madness.

Both sides of the road have been taken over; they have turned this place to their houses,” Owoseni explained.
He noted that the traffic situation at Apapa also posed a security threat, pointing out that in the event of any emergency, it will be difficult for emergency-response organisations to access the area.

The police boss added that it is unfortunate that the police have to bear the brunt of this “irresponsibility.”
“Of course, the organisation (AP Moller) will be hearing this; everybody should play his part. Everyone has an obligation. The police will not carry the obligation of the other person. This is appalling and of course, one of the things we will want to even say is that if it is not absolutely necessary for people to come and run business in this place, this place is not advisable for anybody to come and use, especially in the night, because if you have emergency, it is a challenge for emergency-response institutions. We hope that that organisation and the company that is responsible for this will see what they can do in order to make sure that they ease this madness. This is madness,” Owoseni added.

Speaking on the fate of the policeman that killed a driver, Owoseni stated that the killer cop is not part of the police the Inspector General of Police is building for the country.
According to him, the position of the Inspector General of Police is that everything a policeman does should be in conformity with the rule of law and in tandem with democratic policing, stressing that “the policeman that is said to have committed this offence is not one of us.”

“I want to tell you that that is not the police that the leadership of the police is trying to build. He is not of us. He has done that unilaterally on his own and we will make sure that he pays the supreme price. I have been told that he was also wounded to an extent and he is in the hospital now.

I don’t know what is going to be his position but you can be sure that necessary disciplinary measures will commence immediately and he will be made to face the full wrath of the law. But I want to emphasize that he is not of us. He is not part of the police that Nigeria wants; he is not part of the police that the Inspector General of Police is building for this country. He has betrayed the trust reposed in him and he will be made to face the full wrath of the law,” Owoseni explained.

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