PORT CORRIDORS SECURITY: AMATO CHAIRMAN DRUMS SUPPORT FOR POLICE COLLABORATION, MEETS OGUN CP OJAJUNI, CP BAKRE (RTD)

… Seeks End To Extortion, Hijacking, Illegal Roadblocks; CP Assures Joint Monitoring Team

By Iyioluwa Samuel
Abeokuta

In a strategic move to strengthen security, deepen inter-agency synergy and restore sanity along Lagos and Ogun State port access roads, the Chairman of the Association of Maritime Trucks Owners (AMATO), Lagos State Chapter, Alhaji Ahmed Saro, has paid a crucial courtesy visit to the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Olabode Ojajuni, and former Commissioner of Police, CP Tajudeen Bakre (Rtd).

The high-powered visit, which took place at the Ogun State Police Command Headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, was aimed at seeking robust police partnership in tackling the incessant harassment, extortion, truck hijacking and growing insecurity confronting maritime truck operators and logistics corridors linking Ogun and Lagos States.

Alhaji Saro, who led members of his executive council on the visit, commended the Nigeria Police Force under the leadership of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, for its sustained efforts in maintaining law and order, protecting citizens and securing the nation’s port corridors. He however lamented that despite police efforts, truckers still face daily threats from street urchins, illegal toll collectors and criminal gangs who mount illegal roadblocks, particularly at night.

“Our members are law-abiding citizens contributing immensely to the economy of Ogun, Lagos State and Nigeria at large. We move over 80% of cargoes in and out of the nation’s seaports. But we are daily harassed, extorted, beaten, and our trucks are vandalized. We have come to seek your fatherly protection and to formally partner with your Command to end this menace,” AMATO Chairman stressed.

He appealed for increased police surveillance and deployment of dedicated patrol teams to notorious black spots and extortion points along the Ogun-Lagos logistics corridors, including the Sagamu Interchange, Ijebu-Ode – Epe axis, Papalanto, Agbara – Lusada – Atan corridor, and other feeder roads leading to the ports.

He noted that the multiplicity of illegal checkpoints has not only increased the cost of doing business but has also endangered the lives of drivers and contributed to traffic gridlock and cargo delays.

Responding, CP Ojajuni thanked the AMATO leadership for the visit and assured them of the Command’s unwavering readiness to collaborate and provide adequate security.

The Police boss stated unequivocally that under his watch, the Command will not tolerate lawlessness, illegal roadblocks, jungle justice or extortion on Ogun roads. He disclosed that he will immediately direct the establishment of a Joint Monitoring Team comprising operatives of the Ogun State Police Command and members of AMATO to identify, profile and arrest illegal actors operating on the corridors.

“Your business is critical to the economy. We will not allow miscreants to frustrate your operations. I assure you of our full support and protection,” CP Ojajuni declared.

In continuation of his security shuttle, Alhaji Saro also extended a courtesy visit to CP Tajudeen Bakre (Rtd), a highly respected retired Commissioner of Police and renowned maritime security consultant, to tap from his wealth of experience in port operations and logistics security.

CP Bakre (Rtd), who warmly received the AMATO delegation, commended Alhaji Saro for his exemplary leadership style, maturity and commitment to fostering unity among truckers in the maritime sector. He pledged to deploy his experience, contacts and expertise to advise and support AMATO in its quest for a secured, organized and investor-friendly trucking environment.

The AMATO Chairman was accompanied by top members of the association including chieftains of the Lagos State Trucks and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC), who described the visits as a new dawn and a strategic masterstroke for truckers operating between Ogun and Lagos States.

Industry observers say the courtesy visits mark a renewed push by AMATO under Alhaji Saro’s leadership to institutionalize security, end multiple taxation, and ensure that Ogun and Lagos port corridors are safe, secured and conducive for legitimate businesses in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for port efficiency.