Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
July 22, 2015 – Two people impersonating officials of the Lagos State Metropolitan Area Transport Agency (LAMATA) and 24 hoodlums were today arrested by the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences.
One of the suspects, Fatimoh Balogun, operates a business centre in Ketu with one desktop computer where fake Identity Cards of LAMATA, Nigerian Police Force(NPF) and those of Local Governments are produced, while the other, Mr. Ijalade Jimoh brings in individual for business.
Jimoh said he did the ID card to board buses operating in the Bus Rapid Transit scheme free of charge. “I don’t want to be embarrassed that was why I did the ID card five days ago”, he said adding after making the ID he went to LAMATA office with intention of seeing the MD, Mr. Dayo Mobereola for a job before hue was arrested.
Also speaking, Balogun claimed she was innocent adding that she only executed jobs brought by people. Her boss was yet to show up at the time of filing the report.
The 24 hoodlums were arrested at Agege and other areas.
One of the suspect, who identified himself as Tijani Yusuf said he was returning from Ifo when the vehicles from where he was arrested developed a fault, adding that he was about to sleep in the vehicle at Oshodi when he was arrested.
Another suspect, Sunday Abolarin, who claimed to be a Machine Operator in a block industry, said he was arrested at Agege while returning from work.
But speaking on their arrest, the chairman of the Task force, Mr Akeem Adedeji debunked their claims, saying they are suspected criminals arrested at midnight.
He added that Lagosians have lamenting on the activities of the hoodlums, who he said, had been terrorizing innocent citizens during the day at night and even in traffic.
