Lagos task force nabs 51 area boys over alleged extortion

Lagos State Task Force, yesterday, arrested 51 street urchins, popularly called ‘area boys’, for harassing and extorting truck drivers along the Apapa/Oshodi expressway.

The Guardian learnt that the operation was led by the task force’s chairman, CSP Shola Jejeloye.Confirming the arrest, spokesperson for the agency, Abdulraheem Gbadeyan, said the suspects have been arraigned before a mobile court within the premises of the agency for extortion and public nuisance.

According to him, these individuals have been identified for their brazen tactics; coercing truck drivers to part with money under the pretext of working for the defunct Lagos State Parks and Garages Agency.

Gbadeyan said the gang operated with impunity and subjected many drivers to physical harm and acts of bestiality when they resist extortion. He said: “We have been on the trail of this gang for a while, after receiving several complaints from road users who ply this corridor. We even heard instances of drivers who refused to comply and faced violent threats, including the removal of essential truck components such as batteries and mirrors, right on the expressway.”

A victim and truck driver with a transport company, Victor Aiyegbosi, who was at their mercy, recently, described the miscreants as inhumane. He lamented damage to trucks by the miscreants, who shatter windows and mirrors just to have their way. He described their arrest as the best thing that has happened to truck drivers this year.

Jejeloye expressed disgust at the activities of the miscreants, despite an official pronouncement banning activities of the Lagos State Parks and Garages Agency, late last year. He described their guts as baffling because they threaten victims day and night, without regard for existing laws in the state.

“However, we have come to put an end to this jungle justice; they will no longer be allowed to operate anywhere in the state,” he said. The task force boss said eight of the suspects who pleaded guilty were sentenced to seven months imprisonment with an option of N65,000 fine, while the remaining 43 pleaded not guilty and the court adjourned till March 1, for hearing.

He warned others engaging in acts of impersonation and extortion to desist forthwith or risk being prosecuted. Jejeloye reiterated that the Lagos State government remains committed to ensuring safety and efficiency of transportation networks.