Chiemelie Ezeobi
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested House of Representatives member, Shina Peller, for alleged invasion of Maroko Division following the clampdown on his nightclub Quilox at the weekend.
Operatives had impounded vehicles belonging to clubbers at Quilox for alleged traffic obstruction on Sunday morning and shut down the club for alleged noise pollution after they clubbed for 36 hours nonstop.
The clubbers were said to have also blocked the entire stretch of Ozumba Mbadiwe leading to the tollgate on Sunday morning and were warned, only for the practice to continue Monday morning.
It was gathered that Quilox was having its annual 36-hour clubbing, which resulted in indiscriminate parking by patrons.
Policemen who were on traffic duty were said to have impounded some of the vehicles alleged to have obstructed traffic.
Peller, a legislator representing Iseyin Federal Constituency of Oyo State, was alleged to have stormed the police division around 11am with thugs to get the impounded vehicles released.
According to a statement by police spokesman, DSP Bala Elkana, the traffic snarl caused by indiscriminate parking Monday forced commuters to trek.
“The situation was so bad that commuters had to resort to trekking. Police team from Maroko Division led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) mobilised to the street and after much efforts, got the traffic flowing again.
“Three vehicles parked on the major highway by some customers of the club, which actually caused the obstruction, were removed to the station.
“The club owner mobilised over 50 thugs around 11am and invaded the police station to forcibly move the vehicles away. The police officers on duty at the station sent a distress message to the headquarters calling for reinforcement.
“Police teams from neighbouring Divisions and Area J Command led by the Area Commander were deployed to reinforce the station. The Honourable Member (Peller) and five thugs were arrested while others scaled the fence and escaped.
“The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Yaba for indepth investigation.
“The suspects will be charged to court. Owners of club houses in Lagos State are warned to provide parking spaces for their customers within their premises to stop indiscriminate parking on the road.
“The good people of Lagos State have the right to enjoy free flow of traffic which informed the decision of the command to declare a state of emergency on traffic. The slogan remains ‘Traffic must flow’ in Lagos State,” he said.
However, Peller’s colleague, Oloye Akin Alabi on his verified Twitter page accused the police of demanding N100,000 bribe for each of the three cars.
He said: “So founder of Quilox and House of Representatives member, Shina Peller went to bail his customers that were illegally arrested. Then the police at Maroko detained him as well. Police brutality knows no status.
“We are on our way to Panti. First of all, the cars of the customers were towed and seized for violating traffic. FINE. But they were arrested and told to pay N100,000 bribe. Why one earth do you need to pay the police a bribe after your car has already been seized?”
