Ordinarily, security agencies should cooperate with one another to ensure that laws are obeyed. Ironically, the police, army and other security organisations hardly work together, due to age-long mutual suspicion, which often leads to fights, as it was the case in the FCT, penultimate Wednesday. DONALD IORCHIR reports
Free for all
Some men of the Nigeria Police Force and soldiers of Nigerian Army, attached to the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Wednesday last week, engaged themselves in a free for all fight, in Abuja, the Federal Capital of Nigeria.
The violence ensued when the security agencies tried to serve the Federal Road Safety Commission’s office in Wuze, Zone 7, a violation notice.
The fracas had caused a gridlock around the area, making motorists to be stranded, even passers-bye.
The policemen and soldiers with the AEBP officials reportedly assaulted a female Road Safety marshal, in the process confrontation ensued.
During the fight, a soldier was confirmed wounded and a civilian staff of the AEPB was “taken hostage” by the Road safety marshals.
Also, soldiers and policemen who were part of the AEPB team allegedly seized a Road Safety officer.
The development brought about a stalemate over the release of the “hostages”, as neither party was willing to free the persons in their respective custodies first.
The Road Safety demanded that its personnel must be released first while the soldiers stood their grounds that Road Safety should first release the seized civilian AEPB staff, whom they escorted to serve the notice.
However, the AEPB had denied assaulting the Road Safety personnel, saying its task force officials were resisted from serving the Road Safety the notice they brought.
AEPB’s spokesman, Muktar Ibrahim, reportedly said he was not aware of the fight. “I have not gotten a feedback about that, “he said. “I will confirm and I will let you know the full position”.
Chain of events
Blueprint findings revealed that the crisis has been brewing since mid-February 2018, when environmental experts inspected the FRSC Sector Command Headquarters in Wuse Zone 7, and discovered that the facility did not conform with extant environmental regulations.
Subsequently, the FRSC was informed of its violations through a notice of abatement served on it on February 16. The FRSC acknowledged receipt of the abatement notice on the same day. After the FRSC allegedly failed to comply with the demands of AEPB, the environmental protection office sued for the enforcement of the abatement notice.
The suit was filed at the Chief Magistrate’s Court, Wuse Zone 2, before Ibrahim Jobbo. Specifically, the FRSC was accused of discharging sewage into an open space, offensive odour, dumping refuse on the ground, burning of waste, blockage of drainage, failure to fumigate, amongst other gruesome violations of environmental regulations.
Court order
On February 26, Jobbo ordered that the FRSC office be temporarily shut with immediate effect, saying the agency had failed to appear before the court despite several summons, our correspondent learnt after reviewing court filings.
“It was the court order that we came to enforce when they attacked us,” Ms. Isaac stated this at the AEPB headquarters along Independence Avenue. Ms. Isaac said she arrived at the FRSC office with her colleagues and a police officer around 10:00 a.m. Wednesday. After identifying themselves appropriately and informing the FRSC officers on duty of their mission, they were told to go ahead and carry out their enforcement.
Attempt to seal office
“The FRSC officers started moving their official vehicles out of the compound, saying that we may seal the office after all their vehicles have been moved out. “But after all the vehicles had been moved out with only an unofficial black car left in the compound, we saw another two vehicles trying to drive in.
She said that the two vehicles being driven in were those of senior FRSC officers, but when she moved to tell them that they were about to seal the premises, she was met with violence. “One of the officers that I could only remember her name as ‘Martha’ started slapping me saying I pushed their boss,” she said. “Then other Road Safety officers joined in and they started pummeling me from all sides.
During the violence, she admitted hitting a female officer with one of the heavy-duty chains she was holding, but emphasised it was “not intentional. Some of Ms. Isaac’s colleagues called in a reinforcement from the police and the Nigerian Army, and the violence intensified as soon as the team arrived. Ms. Isaac said she may pursue assault charges against FRSC.
FRSC’s Account
The FRSC said it had a court case with the AEPB bordering on violations of environmental regulations, but said its premises should not have been sealed. “What happened was that they actually came that they wanted to seal the place up because we didn’t appear in one summon,” Bisi Kazeem, a spokesperson for the FRSC, also, “But our lawyer was there to tell us we could go another time because we didn’t get a summon on time.
Mr. Kazeem said sealing a building that is being occupied by a government agency could be problematic. “Trying to forcefully seal off an office of government, there was a sort of resistance,” he said, but added that the matter is “being resolved.
Mr. Kazeem said all allegations of brutality on all sides would be investigated. The AEPB, however, disagreed with the FRSC spokesperson, saying no federal agency is above the law. “Environmental protection is a serious task that we should ordinarily expect government agencies to comply with all regulations. A spokesperson for the AEPB, also said, “It is when government agencies comply with rules and regulations that we could expect ordinary citizens to comply.
He said AEPB officials are likely to return to the FRSC office to enforce the court ordeal by sealing the building, but insist that the mission was not to seal the building for too long, but only to enforce environmental laws. “The AEPB and the FRSC are not in any form of competition with each other, so there’s no point sealing the premises perpetually,” he said.
“The only thing we want from them is compliance, and once that is done, we would have no issues.” “We’re supposed to complement the efforts of each other for the overall benefit of the society, and obeying the law is a key part of that,” he said.
Similar Incident
Blueprint recalls that sometime ago, the same scenario played out in Lagos and resulted in pandemonium in Apapa area of the state, when some armed naval personnel and policemen from Area B Police Command clashed. Two policemen allegedly sustained injuries, police patrol vehicles and an Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC, were allegedly destroyed.
Observers have called on the FCT Administration, Lagos State government and Federal Government to intervene in the matter to avoid future occurrence. Also, the observers who expressed dismay at the incident urged the government to urgently investigate the incident and ensure that “those found guilty should be punished according to law, to serve as a deterrent”.
