A customs officer named Cyril has accused officials of the Lagos State Task Force of damaging his car and extorting N200,000 from him in the Apapa area of Lagos State. Cyril, who serves in the Nigeria Customs Service, recounted his ordeal, which occurred on Tuesday while he was returning home from work.
Speaking to PUNCH Metro on Wednesday, Cyril explained that he was driving toward the Mile 2 area when he encountered road closures at the Warehouse Road junction. Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials were manning the area, so Cyril took an alternative route like other motorists.
However, as soon as he turned onto the alternative road, two commercial buses suddenly emerged from a corner and collided with his vehicle. Cyril confronted the drivers, only to realize that the individuals involved were task force officials.
“I was returning from work when I discovered that the Warehouse Road junction had been shut. Then, I made use of the alternative lane like other vehicles. I had just driven some meters when two commercial buses came out of nowhere and bashed my vehicle. Nobody could have suspected they were task force officers because it happened so suddenly,” Cyril said.
He added that if the officials had been using their regular branded van, he would have recognized them and stopped, as he respects the law.
“When they came down, I saw some of them in police uniforms while others dressed like thugs. I tried to explain that the road was closed, but they didn’t listen. They just took my keys and handed them to one of the thugs, who drove my car to their office.”
Cyril revealed that his car was then taken to the Lagos State Task Force office in Alausa, Ikeja. During the incident, the task force officers also damaged an SUV, crashing into its bumper and headlamp while arresting another driver.
When Cyril arrived at the task force office, the situation took a disturbing turn. The officials demanded he pay a fine of N200,000. Cyril was shocked, especially when they insisted that the payment had to be made in cash, not through an official government account.
“When I got to their office, they asked me to pay a fine of N200,000. I was surprised. I expected that the payment would go into the government’s account, but they asked for cash instead. That was when I realized the whole thing was a deliberate act. I believe the extortion was planned. The road was blocked, there was no other route, and they arrested me on the only available path, demanding N200,000, which can’t even be traced by the government,” Cyril lamented.
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Responding to the accusations, Raheem Gbadeyanka, spokesperson for the Lagos State Task Force, suggested that it could be a case of impersonation. He clarified that official task force officers use operational vehicles and not commercial buses.
“Our officers don’t use commercial buses; we use our operational vehicles. It’s possible that some people are impersonating us as task force officials,” Gbadeyanka said.
He added that any offender should be taken to court and not forced to pay fines on the spot.
“If he didn’t commit an offense, he should have demanded that they repair his damaged car instead of paying that amount of money. We’ll investigate the matter.”
This incident comes amid growing complaints from commercial drivers in Lagos, particularly in the Ladipo Spare Parts Market area, about similar experiences of extortion and harassment by task force officials.
Drivers in the Toyota Bus Stop area have reported that task force officers target commercial vehicles during what they describe as “illegal operations,” often confiscating keys from drivers who refuse to cooperate.