*Declares ALGON/NULGE revenue task force illegal
By Abel Ayodele
The leadership of the League of Confederations and Forum of Mobile Advert Practitioners of Nigeria has dismissed as untrue, reports that its president, Otunba Mike Osimen Eboziegbe was ever arrested by the police.
The League of Confederations and Forum of Mobile Advert Practitioners is the umbrella body for all consultants collecting vehicular revenues for government both at the local and State government levels.
The National Task Force Commander of Joint Mobile Sanitation Agency of Nigeria (JOMSAN), Chief Martins Njoku, claimed in Abuja that Otunba Mike Osimen was arrested “for allegedly leading a team that harasses as well as extorts money from motorists through introduction of strange levies not backed by law.”
Njoku had also said that JOMSAN is the only body engaged by Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) as Consultant/Coordinators to help eradicate touting and multiplicity of vehicular taxes and levies imposed by local governments.
He thus said that Osimen was arrested by the police following a petition against him and his team by JOMSAN.
Reacting in Lagos on Monday, Osimen accused Martin Njoku and Toyin Smith of Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area of perverting the course of justice, illegality and extortion.
Smith (left) and Njoku (right)
He denied being arrested by the police, adding that his association had, in June 2020, written a petition to the Inspector General of Police intimating him of the alleged illegal activities of ALGON/NULGE Task Force allegedly led by Smith, a Supervisor at Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Council.
Osimen also alleged that Smith and Njoku were collecting vehicular taxes and dues, claiming they got the directives from the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).
Osimen said: “ALGON wrote to Joint Tax Board (JTB) in 2011 seeking a positional statement as to ALGON forming a body for local government operation on vehicular revenue collection.
“JTB in response wrote to ALGON stating they (ALGON) do not have powers over the collection of taxes even as relates to vehicular taxes.
“In 2016, there were complaints from people saying they were seeing ALGON officials stopping and impounding vehicles for vehicular taxes.
“JTB again wrote ALGON and warned they do not have powers to collect any tax or form themselves into tax institution which ended ALGON’s insistence on trying to regulate vehicular taxes,” Osimen said.
“But these people (Smith and Njoku) are claiming they have ALGON mandates to collect vehicular dues. Such could not have been possible when ALGON itself does not have the mandate to collect such taxes or direct an association to collect on its behalf.
“We discovered Smith, who is a Supervisor at Oshodi Isolo Local Government Area and his people were impounding vehicles and motorcycles and took them to the local government. We asked them why they were doing it and they claim they have ALGON mandates.
“They started terrorising our members and taken them to police stations. That was why on June 6, 2020, we wrote to the Inspector General of Police (IG) on their illegal operation.
“The petition was titled, ‘Report of lawlessness, criminal intimidation, unlawful blockage of government road, criminal extortion running into several millions of Naira and brigandage endangering lives and properties of road users in different parts of Lagos,’ and was written against Joy Oluwatoyin Smith, Martin Njoku and one Tunde Advert (ALGON Task Force) for road blocks at Oshodi, FESTAC, Eti-Osa, Ajah, Aguda, Ikotun, and Ikorodu.”
Some illegally impounded vehicles
“The IG responded and wrote a letter dated July 3, 2020, signed by DCP Idowu Owohunwa directing the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2, Onikan to investigate the matter.
“They were invited and investigation was carried out. Upon investigation, they were to be arrested last week Friday and taken to court but they quickly ran to the press claiming I was arrested.
“We have asked them to come with their facts but they couldn’t. They ran to Abuja and have been running around since then,” Otunba Mike further stated.
He also accused the leadership of ALGON/NULGE Task Force of negative campaign against his personality and the association, and urged his members to remain calm amid provocation.
He continued: “They are just trying to evade justice. They know what they are doing is illegal. They are the ones impounding vehicles on the road.
“If you go to Oshodi Isolo local government you will see some vehicles and motorcycles they have impounded illegally. They do not have the mandate to operate. They are illegal. I was never attested. I have asked our members to remain calm while we continue to make efforts to ensure they are brought to book,” he said.