Two auctioneers licensed to auction and dispose off abandoned vehicles in police stations in Lagos state police command have reportedly died of high blood pressure and hunger as they have been rendered jobless since Lagos State commissioner of police CP Hakeem Odumosu assumed office.
The deceased auctioneers simply identifed as Mr. Tajudeen and Mr. Innocent were among over thirty auctioneers who said they have not been allowed to auction any abandoned vehicles in police stations in Lagos police command since the Lagos state commissioner of police CP Hakeem Odumosu assumed office.
An auctioneer said " Innocent is from Imo State and Tajudeen is from Oyo State and they have been auctioneering vehicles long before CP Odumosu came on board. They died due to hunger, high blood pressure as they cannot pay their bills and fend for their families. The CP is not working with any of us and we are official auctioneers licensed by the police. We register every year but since last year ,none of us have been allowed to auction any vehicle. Our members are dying. Others are sick and many like myself cannot pay rent, school fees and take care of our family because CP Odumosu has taken away our means of livelihood. The other day ,my landlord told me my house rent had expired. I couldn't pay him. I have been begging him to exercise patience but till when?"
Auctioneers who spoke on condition of anonymity over fear of being victimised said " Since the time the Lagos state commissioner of police CP Hakeem Odumosu assumed office last year, he has prevented us from auctioning any vehicle. He said he is not ready to work with us. When we showed him our licence and authorization to auction police abandoned vehicles which we have been doing for more than twenty years, he still insisted that he does not want to work with us . We asked him who he wants to work with but he refused to reply us".
A resident in Lagos Marcus King said the police handling of auction of abandoned vehicles is vague.
He said " The CP Odumosu said through a statement by the Lagos State police command spokesperson CSP Muyiwa Adejobi that members of the public can visit the police stations for their vehicles but what station can we go to? When the auctioneers were handling the issue of abandoned vehicles in police station, they will list the vehicles, the make, colours and the plate numbers of the vehicles in addition , they will tell the public through newspaper publication what stations the vehicles are but the CP's order on abandoned vehicles since he took over that aspect has not given all the necessary details .These abandoned vehicles were seized or tolled by Task Force police and others , the vehicles can be kept at any location so where can we go to look for them? I will advise that the job of the professionals should be left to professionals. Let the CP allow the auctioneers do their job".
Following the alleged stoppage of their legitimate job, the auctioneers said they are finding it very difficult to fend for their families.
" I do not understand why the Lagos state commissioner of police CP Hakeem Odumosu would stop us from our legitimate means of livelihood. He is there enjoying himself as a CP earning all the salaries and the peck that comes with his exalted office but he refused to allow us make earns to cater for our families. We know how the Covid-19 pandemic affected everyone but those badly hit are those non salary earners like us so its been very difficult for us to feed , take care of children fees, pay rents and fulfil other financial obligation".
The auctioners therefore appealed to the new IGP and the police high command to prevail on the Lagos state commissioner of police CP Hakeem Odumosu to work with them.
"We are appealing to the new IGP Baba to come to our rescue and the government to intervene as all our appeal , cry and even death of our members have not moved CP Odumosu. When the former Lagos CP Edgal Imohimi was in power, he also denied us from our legitimate job. He only allowed one of us to be the auctioneer. Later , that auctioneer, allowed us to auction with him and we were back in business but CP Hakeem Odumosu has stopped everyone of us. We wonder who is now auctioning over five thousand abandoned vehicles since he became CP, where are these vehicles? Who is keeping them?"
When contacted , Lagos state police command spokesperson CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi did not reply to the inquiry.
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