An official of the Lagos State Taskforce
Environmental and Special Offences (enforcement) Unit, Mr. Akude Silas,
is in critical condition at a public hospital after suspected hoodlums
bathed him with acid. Punch learnt that the victim was among a team of officials deployed in the Oshodi Oke area to enforce traffic rules.
A commercial bus, filled with suspected hoodlums, was said to have suddenly halted at a junction where the victim was.
One of the men was alleged to have poured the acid on his face, while the vehicle immediately sped off from the area.
A task force official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident happened around 4pm on Friday.
He said, “We all moved out as a team and
when we got to Oshodi, we moved to different spots to monitor traffic,
arrested road traders and enforced the traffic law.
“We had divided ourselves into two that day. A group monitored Oshodi Isale, while the other group went to Oshodi Oke.
“Around 4pm, a Volkswagen bus on motion
suddenly stopped in front of Silas, and somebody in the bus poured the
acid on him. The bus drove off immediately.”
Asked what could have led to the attack,
the source said it might not be unconnected with the strict enforcement
of the traffic rules.
He said the victim might have been targeted by one of those he had caught for sanction in the past.
Our correspondent learnt that colleagues
of the victim rushed him to the Lagos State Emergency Centre in the
Tollgate area before he was transferred to the Emergency Ward of the
Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
The Public Relations Officer for the
task force, Adebayo Taofiq, confirmed the incident, adding that
investigations were on to unravel the circumstances surrounding the
attack and the motive of the suspects.
He said, “Silas is currently receiving
treatment at the Emergency Ward in LASUTH. We are doing our best to get
to the root of the attack and we will surely bring the perpetrators to
book.”
The Chairman of the task force, SP
Olubukola Abe, and some other management staff of the agency were said
to have visited the victim at the hospital.
Abe, who noted that task force officials
were being attacked on a regular basis, appealed to members of the
public to cooperate with officials of government doing their duties.
Source:Punch
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