FROM OUR CRIME DESK (ABEOKUTA)
...Matters in Court is Purview of the Court -- PPRO
The Iron Rod and Steel Drivers Association of Nigeria (IRSDEN) has urged Ogun State Government and the state's Commissioner of police to assist in curbing the illegal activities of revenue collectors extorting them of their daily earnings.
The association has fingered police of aiding and abetting revenue collectors' illegal activities but state's Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola denied police involvement in the allegation, saying any matter that is in court is a purview of the court which police can not meddle with such case anymore.
Although, the matter is currently pending before the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos State.
Credible anonymous within the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos assured IRSDEN has appealed a consent judgment obtained against them by their rival association, United Iron Rod and Steel Drivers Association of Nigeria in Appeal Court with Appeal No: CA/LAG/CVI/169/2024, Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1522/2016, between Registered Trustees of Iron Rod and Steal Drivers Association of Nigeria & 2 Ors and Registered Trustees of United Iron Rod and Steel Drivers Association of Nigeria & 4 Ors.
The Appeal document made available to this news platform revealed that the Iron Rod and Steel Drivers Association of Nigeria is accusing their rival association of having obtained fraudulent consent judgment, using the same as a cover to harass their law-abiding members, not minding that the case is before the Court of Appeal.
Even though the lead counsel to the Appellants, Julius Nnamani (Esq) did inform the Respondent's counsel through the Chief Register of the Appeal Court, F. A. Agbana Anibaba, the Respondent, it was gathered, allegedly carpeted the Appeal Court notice and liaised with the Police in Ogun State to collect revenue under impunity from the Iron Rod and Steel Drivers.
Parts of the notice of Appeal read this: "Registered Trustees of Iron Rod and Steel Drivers Association of Nigeria are dissatisfied with the order/consent judgment of the Honourable Federal High Court Lagos, Coram Oweibo J delivered on the 26th day of October 2019 and adopted on the 26th day of October 2021 become a judgment of the Court do hereby appeal upon the grounds set out in paragraph 3 hereof and will at the hearing of the suit seek the reliefs and orders set out in paragraph 4."
The Truck Drivers through their counsel went further to state that the trial judge at the Federal High Court misdirected himself in law when he ordered the terms of settlement dated 21st day of October 2019 as consent judgment where paragraphs 5 and 6 of the terms of settlement are contrary to the claims and or defense of the parties at the commencement of the suit as contained in the processes before the Court thereby occasioning a miscarriage of justice against the appellants.
Worried that despite the legal battle between the two rival truck drivers' unions, one Joseph Akhor, Kazeem A. Salawu, Innocent Nwachukwu, Augustine Otih, and Thankgod Asika, hiding under the umbrella of the Ogun State Revenue Agents have stationed revenue collectors at Ijebu Itele, Ogujo/ African Foundry, along Ogujo/Shagamu Road and other parts of Lagos State, in particular where they allegedly inflates body injuries on some of the truck drivers on daily bases while some of the trucks of their alleged victims are damaged for refusing to yield to the antics of the duos operating under the alleged supervision of the police said to be detailed by the State Commissioner of Police.
Speaking when contacted, one of the Executive members of the Iron Rod and Steel Drivers Association of Nigeria under the condition anonymous, urged the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, and Minister for Transport to as a matter of urgency, dismantle all the revenue collectors on the federal highways in Nigeria, describing the revenue collectors as not only miscreants but an informant to the bandits operating on the nation's highways.
Fielding answers to this reporter in a phone conversation, Joseph Akhor dismissed the allegation of acting on the back page of the Appeal Court matter, noting that there was no notice of any appeal from the Iron Rod and Steel Drivers Association of Nigeria served on them or their legal counsels.
Recall that CP Abidodun Alamutu is the 36th Commissioner of Police of Ogun State who took over from (now) AIG Olanrewaju Oladimeji, having assumed his duty post at the State Police Headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.
Efforts made to reach the Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, High Chief Sofela Adebola for comment at the time of filing this report were not successful as he said he was in a meeting and he could not speak with the press.
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