The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA); Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman has appealed to the Nigeria Police to intensify efforts to find and arrest killers of an official of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA); Mr. Surajudeen Bakare, in Apapa late last year.
The NPA MD gave the charge on Friday last week while on a condolence visit to the family of the deceased LASTMA official at their home in Lagos.
The MD who was accompanied on the visit by the Chief Executive Officer of LASTMA, Retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Chris Olakpe, noted that as the landlord of the port, it was important for the NPA to pay the condolence visit and show empathy with the deceased’s family.
“We felt the need to extend our condolence to the LASTMA official that died in active duty, he was on active duty around Apapa port area, so as the landlord of the port, we felt the need to come and extend our condolence”
“It’s important that we show empathy, we enjoined the Police to ensure that justice is done, nobody should be killed in the manner this young man was killed, it is unacceptable in the society”
“I am encouraging the Lagos State Government and the Police at large to ensure that these miscreants are brought to book, we cannot accept these behaviours in our society, it would discourage other officers from actively doing their duties”, she stated.
Ms Usman also assured that security around the port would be beefed-up in order to send a strong message to hoodlums operating around the port area. She reiterated that the Government will not accept such behaviour.
The NPA MD seized the opportunity to personally hand-over the Authority’s cash gift to the wife of the deceased; Mrs. Fatima Bakare.
The tearful widow of the deceased LASTMA official, Mrs. Fatima Bakare appreciated the NPA, saying that “it is painful that I am receiving this after my husband’s death, I only know the worth of my husband after his death”.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Transport Management Authority has disclosed that the Police had arrested two persons in connection with the recent gruesome murder of the Lagos Zonal Head; Mr. Surajudeen Bakare.
The LASTMA CEO; Mr. Olakpe recounted that the deceased official was on an official duty in Apapa area of Lagos when he was lynched and beaten to death. He assured that the agency, in partnership with the Lagos State Police command are doing everything to get to the root of the matter.
“The incident was most unfortunate because the LASTMA officers were rendering their usual service to the state and the nation at large, and some unfortunate elements gruesomely murdered our official during his official duty, we have sworn that we must get to the bottom of it, the government of Lagos has empowered the police to get to the root of it and we are glad that today, two arrests have been made of the miscreants”
“But let it be a warning to members of the public that this kind of attitude would no longer be tolerated and anybody caught in it, the long hand of the law would get them” he assured.
