ANLCA Crisis: How Ojo Akintoye, Expired NECOM Led Hoodlums to Attack Us At Tin Can Port—-Officials

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The Acting National Executive Committee (NECOM) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has alleged that the expired NECOM of Hon Tony Iju were behind the attack that took place at Tin Can Island Port on Thursday, leading to one person sustaining head injury and many other port users attacked.

Acting Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, Mr Francis Itua who spoke with DAILY TREND, alleged that the factional Chairman of the Tin Can Port Chapter, Mr Ojo Akintoye was the one that led thugs to attack members and disrupt the meeting.

According to him, the mayhem was still ongoing when the Police Area Commander, Area B, stormed the venue and witnessed for himself how Mr Akintoye was allegedly giving orders to the hoodlums on who and where to attack.

Meanwhile, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG Maritime) has since Thursday arrested the two Chairmen at Tin Can Island Port; Alhaji Mohammed Mojeed and Ojo Akintoye, and both were still in custody as at time of filing this report.

Mr Itua while narrating how the unfortunate incident unfolded said “What happened on that very day was that, we were set to have our maiden meeting of the Western Zone, just to brief our members. A lot of our members are suffering, nothing works in the port, everytime we submit our jobs, we always have alerts from customs.

“We were trying to tell our members to have patience, so that immediately the issues are resolved, especially that of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) issuing cirtificate to another BOT, the issue is being resolved at Abuja.

“We are calling our members to exercise patience, also on the issue of port access road construction which is under construction, our members are suffering, they cannot take their cargoes out of the port and they cannot access the port. These are the issues we wanted to highlight and inform them that we have not abandoned them

“All the stage were set, two of our BOT members were in attendance, I was the Master of Ceremony, and as I was calling invitees to the high table, I just saw that the canopy was removed, there were about twenty thugs who stormed the venue, wielding charms and sticks, they started attacking everybody.
We all scampered and ran into the Secretariat and locked ourselves in.

“All the soft drinks and water we intended to serve our guests, they carted them away, shouting slogans and causing all sorts of mayhem around the area.
We wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Police, Area Commander, DPO and all the letters were received and acknowledged, just for them to protect us because we don’t want to seek self help. The police authority gave us three armed policemen and they were all overpowered and looking helpless.

“Immediately, we put a call across to the Area Commander and in fairness to him, he came over and saw Ojo Akintoye giving command to the thugs “Attack, Kill, the DPO accosted him and questioned why he was doing that” he said

Speaking with journalists on Friday, the factional Acting President of the association, Mr Farinto Kayode alleged that the Interim NECOM violated a directive from the police for all members to maintain status quo ante, until all issues of the association crisis is resolved.

Farinto accused the Police of being biased, and giving covering to the Interim NECOM to carryout their activities unhindered.

Speaking on the Thursday attack, he told journalists that “We learnt from the grapevine that one Taiye Oyeniyi and Mojeed Olomola sponsored the thugs. It’s unfortunate that Police is not playing a very good role in the crisis of ANLCA, because even Police that said we should maintain status quo ante, which we respected and we have refused to call a meeting in the western zone, but we now find a situation where Police is always giving the other party cover up knowing fully well that we have a certificate from the CAC registering the new BoT.”

In his reaction to this however, the ANLCA Acting spokesman debunked the insinuation, saying that the Factional Chairman, Ojo Akintoye has been holding similar meetings at Tin Can Port every week.

“The police never asked us to maintain status quo, OjO himself have been holding same meetings in that Tin Can and nobody disturbs him, he does it almost every week. It is just because our members are larger than theirs, this was why we rented canopies.

Speaking on, Mr Itua cleared that the Tin Can Island Chairman, Mojeed is being held because of the injuries on Wale Cole and the AIG is saying that they cannot grant bail while Wale Cole is still in comma

“Wale Cole participated actively in helping those hoodlums to attack us, none of our prepared for any self help, they, being the hunter are now trying to turn the allegations against the hunted” he said

When he was contacted, Secretary of the ANLCA BOT who was invited to grace the Thursday meeting, Prince Taiye Oyeniyi said that he suspected that he was the main target of the hoodlums.

Even though, he declined to comment on the ugly incident, he alleged that the hoodlums were led to the venue by Mr Ojo Akintoye.

Speaking, the elder Statesman said “I don’t believe in press wars, all along, the meeting was documented, all of us were invitees after the Police have been informed.

“How can we organize a meeting and still sponsor thugs to come and destroy the place? It is clear, the police were there, you can go to the Area Commander and find out.

“The Corporate Affairs Commission is working seriously on the fake cirtificate they (other faction) have been circulating, as soon as this is sorted out, we would be able to tag them as criminals.

“It was Ojo Akintoye that led the thugs that unleashed that attack, but because they are in police custody, we don’t want to talk about it. We believe that no matter what it is, somebody was injured and we need to be concerned” he said

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