The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has alerted
Lagosians and indeed all Nigerians of the sinister plan by the PDP led
federal government to sponsor a massive breakdown of law and order in
Lagos through the deployment of hoodlums and thugs under the guise of
SURE-P Federal Task Force.
The party said that these hoodlums who are being recruited and armed ahead
of the 2014 general election are being deployed and armed to cause crisis
and massive breakdown of law and order in Lagos using the control of
traffic
In a release in Lagos, signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of
the All Progressives Congress, Joe Igbokwe, the party said that what the
PDP is doing is clearly recruiting hoodlums and brigands for the purpose
of causing a breakdown of law and order in Lagos and that Lagosians must
confront this evil plot to throw the state into needless crisis. It warns
that no one should take the civility of Lagosians and the Lagos State
government for granted.
“Yesterday, we witnessed the complete breakdown of law and order and
breakdown of traffic in Lagos when these hoodlums under the guise of
SURE-P federal task force went on rampage, fighting LASTMA officials with
cudgels and inflicting harms on them, all in a bid to take over control of
federal roads in Lagos. We note that PDP leaders have been making rounds
in the camp of these hoodlums, where they were quartered and have been
distributing monies and other inducements to them in readiness for their
real roles as thugs for PDP politicians in 2015. Lagosians note that most
of these thugs are doing private domestic works in the private residences
of the leaders of PDP in Lagos and this is not far from the real missions
of these thugs who are at the beck and call of PDP members for reasons
that are far from patriotic.
“We can say that we saw this coming. It will be recalled that when the
recruitment for these hoodlums started, we warned of the dubious nature of
these hoodlums. But this was denied by authorities of the federal ministry
of Works and other agencies. But we knew the dubiousness of these denials
obtains in the fact that as they try to make these denials, the
recruitment and arming of these thugs right under their facility
increased. We have warned that these are ghouls being recruited for the
task of destabilizing Lagos in the same fashion former minister, Adeseye
Ogunlewe did and which ended up in bitter political frustration for him.
“We note that these political thugs who are dressed in black uniform and
addressed as SURE-P Federal Task Force have recently come up with what
they term their duties and these are;
i). Protect Federal Properties in Lagos
ii). Right of Way.
iii). Setback
iv). Traffic Control
v). Enforcement.
“Even as Lagosians wonder what legal right these hoodlums are operating
with, we ask what properties are they protecting in Lagos and against
whom? We ask what these hoodlums are enforcing and how the federal
government is vested with the control of city and street traffic when
there are so many yearning areas needing the attention of the federal
government. What are the duties of the police, Road Safety and LASTMA if
we must create an emergency agency of political thugs and hoodlums armed
with dangerous weapons to launch brigandage on Lagos roads?
“We are still at a loss with the obsession of the PDP and the Jonathan
government with this project of sponsoring disruption and mayhem in Lagos.
We wonder whether Lagos is the only state where there are federal roads in
Nigeria. We wonder how control of traffic in Lagos roads should be the
function and responsibility of the federal government even when it is
obvious that this present government has done nothing either to repair the
worsening state of federal roads or adding even one kilometer to the
federal roads in Lagos. Nothing adds up here except the burning desire
that is ravaging the rank and file of the members of the PDP to set fire
to Lagos for its unprecedented progress and peace in the face of the gross
failure of the federal government in nearly every sector of governance.
“Lagos APC is calling on all Lagosians, traditional rulers, stakeholders
and leaders of thought to stand up against this act of political
desperation. We urge all Lagosians to look out for these hoodlums and
resist them for what they are-sponsored political thugs out to cause
maximum breakdown of peace and order in Lagos. We warn that Lagos should
not be turned to a theater of blood by desperate political wayfarers who
want to set the state on fire in a bid to realize their selfish
ambitions.”