Over 30 auctioneers licenced to auction and dispose off abandoned vehicles in police stations in Lagos State Police Command have been rendered jobless.
The auctioneers said they have not been allowed to auction any abandoned vehicles in police stations in the Police Command since the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, assumed office last year.
Following the CP’s alleged refusal, this correspondent visited police stations and found these vehicles littering the stations in their numbers taking up spaces and further deteriorating.
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 20 years, he still insisted that he does not want to work with us . We asked him who he wants to work with, he refused to reply us”.
Following the alleged stoppage of thier 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 earnings 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, it’s been very difficult for us to feed , take care of children’s fees, pay rents and fulfil other financial obligations”.
The auctioneers, therefore, appealed to the IGP Mohammad Adamu and police high command to prevail on the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, to work with them.
“We are not fighting him. 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 5,000 abandoned vehicles since he became CP, where are these vehicles? Who is keeping them?” , the auctioneers stated.
When contacted, Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi , did not reply to the inquiry.
