Air force Men Raid Park, Assault Driver

There was a breach of the peace at one of the two sections of a tricycle park in the Ahmadiyya area of Lagos State as some Nigeria Airforce officers allegedly beat up a rider, Sunday Akomolafe, a retiree of the Nigerian Legion.
Few minutes after the incident, which was said to have happened around 11am on March 3, policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad reportedly stormed the park, carting away five litres of petrol and a jack.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the officers went berserk when the 57-year-old man could not pay the N250 they demanded.
One of them, it was learnt, hit Akomolafe in the jaw with the butt of their gun while others beat him up.According to the operators, the two units pay N500 to every team of security operatives that ‘visit the park on a daily basis.
The riders told PUNCH Metro that the constant patrol of the park by security agents made them work under tension even though they were duly registered.
Akomolafe said, “Four OP MESSA men came in a van with Air Force 07 written on it. They asked me for their due and I told them that our executives were not around. Usually, the executives pay them. But they did not listen to my explanation. They asked me to raise N250 by all means. When I refused, one of them slapped me from the back and they beat me up. They hit me with their guns.”
Another rider, whose items were whisked away by policemen, said security operatives resorted to harassment, whenever the riders were unable to “settle” them.
Craving anonymity, he said, “I was with Baba (Akomolafe) at the hospital when I received a call that three officers had gone away with my keg of fuel and a jack.
“These people will never leave us alone. About four teams of OP MESA come here almost every day to disturb us and we pay each team N500. Policemen and RRS people also come to collect money. We don’t have peace of mind.”
“We were registered by the council and we pay our dues regularly to its authorities.”
Another operator, Yemi Ayinde, said they were forced to obey to avoid trouble.
The Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Air Force, Joel Adeboye, said he would investigate the incident and get back to PUNCH Metro.
He said, “I am not aware of the incident, but I will make enquiries and I will call you back.”
He had, however, yet to do so as of press time.
The spokesperson for Federal SARS, Lekan Ogundare, and the Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Police Command, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said the incident was difficult to properly investigate since the command from which the team came could not be ascertained.
“If it happens again, the riders should check whether it is state or federal operatives that were there. We don’t condone such abuse.” Ogundare added.