Mother, toddler jump out of bus as driver evades task force’s arrest

The activities of some task force policemen in Lagos State yesterday came under criticism after many escaped death by the whiskers at Charity bus stop, Oshodi.

The task force team in a bus painted in green and white colours stormed the bus stop where commercial bus drivers were picking passengers. On getting to the spot, the four-man police team flashed their guns demanding the drivers to come down from the buses.

On sighting the task force, the drivers in a bid to evade arrest and possible extortion drove menacingly away from the scene, hitting some passersby and roadside traders, including an aged woman who was displaying her wares close to the scene of action.

The policemen chased after the drivers and only stopped the hot chase closed to the Airport Road flyover bridge when a woman, Chinelo Nwabuzor and her toddler son fell off one of the buses.

It will be recalled that the former Inspector General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase in 2015, had banned the use of commercial vehicles for police patrols and other operations due to the enormous negative consequences associated with such practices as complained by members of the public.

But lately, it has become the common practice, as task force officials in police uniforms engage Danfo buses to carry out their operations by preying and pouncing on bus drivers dropping off or picking passengers, especially along Gbagada-Oshodi, Oshodi Mile 2, and Oshodi-Ikeja Along-Iyana Ipaja highways.

The other side of this practice is that some members of the public had on several occasions being misled to walk into traps set by armed one-chance robbers dressed in supposed police uniforms.

When The Guardian contacted the DTO in Makinde Police Station, she promised to look into the matter as she was not available at the time.