Alleged Fake ALGON/NULGE Task Force: IGP orders DIG, FCID, Abuja to hands off case

Ayodele Olalere

Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, has ordered the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja, to hands off the case involving the Forum of Mobile Advert Practitioners, and ALGON/NULGE Task Force.
The IGP, in a letter dated January 18, 2021 and addressed to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, , Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja, and The Assistant Inspector General of Police, , Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, noted that having given earlier directive for the AIG to handle the matter, following a petition earlier written by the leadership of Forum of Mobile Advert Practitioners led by Otunba Mike Osimen Eboziegbe against the ALGON/NULGE Task Force led by Nnamdi Ogbogbo, Toyin Smith and Martins Njoku, over alleged illegal collection of vehicular dues by the latter, it was sad the ‘ contending party forwarded a counter petition and surreptitiously misled the authority into endorsing same to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, FCID, Abuja.
The ALGON/NULGE Task Force operating under the Joint Mobile Sanitation Agency of Nigeria, JOMSAN, had written a counter petition to the DIG, FCID, Abuja, who, in total disregard to the IG’s directive, took over the case.

However, reacting, the IGP described the action of the ALGON/NULGE Task Force, as “blatant disregard, deceitful and fraudulent attempt to move a matter being investigated under the express directive of the Inspector General of Police.”

The letter further stated ‘in order to avoid duplication of Investigation and abuse of Police process, the ‘DIG, FCID, Abuja should stand down Investigation while the AIG, Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, should harmonise the petitions from contending parties, conclude investigation and furnished detailed Investigation report.”
It is recalled the contending parties have been embroiled in dispute over who has the right to collect vehicular dues on behalf of all local governments in the country.
The Forum of Mobile Advert Practitioners of Nigeria, registered body had accused the ALGON/NULGE Task Force of usurping it’s duties and harrassing it’s members.
It has also accused one Toyin Smith, a supervisor at Oshodi/Isolo local government of illegally impounding vehicles and motorcycles, took them to the local government and allegedly forcefully made owners pay for dues.
“These people (Smith and Njoku) are claiming they have ALGON mandates to collect vehicular dues. Such could not have been possible when ALGON itself does not have the mandate to collect such taxes or direct an association to collect on its behalf.

We discovered Smith, who is a Supervisor at Oshodi Isolo local government and his people were impounding vehicles and motorcycles and took them to the local government. We asked them why they were doing it and they claim they have ALGON mandates.

They started terrosising our members and taken them to police stations. That was why on June 6, 2020, we wrote to the Inspector General of Police, IG on their illegal operation,” Otunba Mike had alleged.

The latter however had claimed it was operating under the directive of ALGON.

However, in a petition dated January 18, 2021, by the leadership of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, to the Inspector General of Police, it distanced itself from the activities of the Task Force, described it as fraudulent and asked the IGP to order Investigation into it.