Daniel Anokwuru
Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, attached to Volks/ Iba Unit, Ijanikin, Lagos, have placed Peter Michael, a motor mechanic on personal enlightenment and impounded his vehicle.
It was gathered that Michael had prevented the officials from towing his Honda CRV SUV car that broke down close the their office. When they tried to forcefully tow the vehicle, the mechanic insisted on removing the battery first, saying that it belongs to another car owner.
According to the duty officer in their Ijanikin office, Mr. Ojo Ade, he said that the demand by the mechanic that he should be allowed to remove the battery before the vehicle can be towed is against their operation.
Narrating to the reporter on what transpired on that faithful day, Ojo said that had sighted the vehicle at the middle of the road, they told the mechanic to remove it from the road but he ignored them. He said that when they returned back to same spot they still mate the vehicle there. Their effort to tow the vehicle sparked anger and violence from the mechanic. He said: “It was on Monday, September 30, 2019. We just came out from our office and saw a Honda CRV car with Registration No. LSD 829 BC which broke down on the road.
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We discovered that the driver was a Mechanic, we told him to fix the vehicle fast and remove it from the road, because we understand the situation of the road which is very bad, but he became very hostile to us. We left him there and went on patrol. When we came back the vehicle was still there. We approached him again but he was still very hostile. A police officer also approached him but he refused to listen to him. We now brought our towing van to move the vehicle to our office, he first of all made a call to the owner of the vehicle to inform him that we were about towing the vehicle.
The owner told him to allow us to tow the vehicle. He now said he want to remove the battery because it belong to someone else but we refused. We have had instances in the past when car owners remove their belonging only to come back to claim that the same items were missing from the vehicle. It was the car battery that caused the whole drama. The police from Ijanikin now came and arrested him and we moved the vehicle to our yard”.
Ojo noted that the have sanctioned the mechanic with appropriate fines after impounding the vehicle. Said they have also placed him on two weeks Personal enlightenment.
Also narrating his story to the reporter, Michael alleged that he was beaten up by the officials in conjunction with their towing van driver. He said he was latter locked up in Ijanikin police Station where he spent two days in detention before he regained his freedom. Peter noted that problem started when the officials came to tow the vehicle which had broken down the previous night. He said he slept inside the vehicle because the spot was a bad zone where vehicle can be vandalized. He said when the officials came to tow the vehicle, he told them that he had reported in their office and the owner of the car was very close with the damaged part.
He pleaded that they should allow him to carry his tools which was inside the car but they refused. He said he also pleaded with the officials to allow him carry the battery which belongs to another car owner, but the demand attracted the anger of the officials. He said:
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“The vehicle belongs to my Bishop in the Church, he gave it to me for repair. I had finished working on it he sent someone to come and pick the vehicle from my workshop at Agemowo in Badagry. The person was going back when the shaft pulled out at Ijanikin close to the Road Safety office.
That was around 10:pm. He called me to inform me, I rushed to the place to see if I could fix the vehicle but to no avail. I now put road sign and told him to go so he could bring the damaged part in the morning, I now slept inside the vehicle. In the morning the officers came and said they wanted to tow the vehicle to their office. I told them that I had already reported in their office, and someone was very close with the damaged part. They insisted in towing it I now pleaded that they should allow me carry my working tools which was inside the vehicle, I also pleaded that they should let me remove the battery because it belongs to someone that I was repairing his car, but they removed. I now called the owner to inform him about the development, he said they should tow the vehicle that is better.
Before I know it one man on casual wear just grabbed me from the back. I shouted and asked him what happened that the officers were on ground to settle the matter. They all descended on me and said I was preventing them from doing their job. After beating me, the police took me to Ijanikin police station and locked me up. I spent two days in the cell. They said they wanted to see the owner of the car. The man latter came before I was released. I latter discovered that the man who was not on uniform that grabbed me is one of their officials”.
When the reporter visited the Ijanikin police station, the IPO told him that there were signs of struggle between them, and the officials also want to be sure that he did not steal the vehicle.
