Lagos Officials Impound Vehicles As Sellers, Firm Quarrel Over Land

IT was drama yesterday as officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Transport Committee on Removal of Abandoned /Used Vehicles and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) stormed the premises of O-Brien Auto Dealers at 30/32 Murtala Muhammed Way, Lagos, towing away all their vehicles.

The officials came with their towing vehicles of different types, including LASTMA Rescue MB 3, 5 and 6 to tow different types of vehicles that belong to the auto dealers away to the state secretariat at Alausa, Ikeja.

One of the auto dealers, Prince Kanu Ezinwa said since 2005, the company had been selling cars on the land. “The place we are selling cars belongs to Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). But the land at our backyard belonged to one Chief Ade Obebe, before he sold the place to Charvet. The former landlord was collecting rent from us. But this one came to throw us out,” he said.

He said that they should have given them quit notice instead of using security agents to terrorise them.

According to the Chairman of O-Brien Motors Mr. Ugochukwu Mogbo, the new owners of the land behind where they sell their vehicles are claiming that since they bought the land behind, the frontage automatically belongs to them. He said the company was duly registered with the government.

Another dealer, Mrs. J Ugochinyere complained that security men did not give them the avenue to dialogue.  “The police said that they were not the right people to talk to. The LASTMA officials said the same thing. Who do we go to? But look at our surrounding, they damaged everything including our table.  This is inhuman,” she said.

But Bunmi Onatolu, the General Manager Charvet Nigeria Limited, the new owner of the land, recalled that they bought the land from the owner three years ago and served the auto dealers quit notice. “They refused to leave the place, instead they have been appealing to us. LASTMA came here and served them notice to leave within 24 hours yesterday, but they refused. We gave them quit notice through our lawyers a long time ago,” he explained.