Bus operators at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), this morning shut down operations over what the described as illegal apprehension of their Chairman, Mr. Tijani Jelili and Public Relations Officer, Lukmon Abdullahi and the seizure of three vehicles by the Lagos State Task Force.
Sources confirmed that both officials of the Association of Limousine Bus Operators (ALBO) were whisked away by men of the Lagos State Task Force as early as 6:15am.
This prompted the members to down tools causing passengers to walk long distances.
The ALBO decried the continued harassment by the Task Force, describing it as illegal, saying the airport does not fall under its jurisdiction.
Secretary of ALBO, Augustus Amonimo said: “Lagos State Task Force officials are seriously harrassing us for no reason. They feel they don’t want to see our blue buses but we are registered under the airport authority Nationwide and not the state government.
“Already, the bus operators are mobilizing to embark on a protest against this perceived injustice and have started calling out their members far and wide demanding the release of their two executives.”
“We wrote FAAN to give us a place around conoil and some of our people were there before these task force came and impounded those three vehicles as well as whisking away our chairman and PRO who came to intervene.
“The worse is they were shooting sporadically as if the ALBO members were thieves. We will not operate until we get our people and get to the root of the matter,” Omonimo added.