Immigration and traffic officers engage in free-for-all in Ogun

Pandemonium broke out, on Tuesday afternoon, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, when armed officers and men of the Nigeria Immigration Service stormed the zonal command office of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) and beat up four officers of the traffic agency.
Tribune Online gathered ‎that the invasion of the NIS officers was a reprisal attack on the traffic officers whose men were allegedly reported to have attacked an unnamed immigration officer in the day.
It was learnt that eight traffic officers had earlier in the day beaten up a senior officer of the NIS at Sapon area of the town.
The immigration officer, with the rank of Chief Superintendent, was said to have parked at an obstruction in the area and this resulted in an argument between the traffic and immigration officers over breach of traffic rules.
It was further learnt that an attempt by the traffic officers to remove the number plate of the vehicle of the immigration officer was resisted by the unnamed NIS officer.
However, the TRACE corps claimed that the NIS officer pushed him aside and he fell in the process, and this was denied by the NIS officers who said the traffic corps were the ones that attacked the officer and tore the uniform of his orderly.
Eyewitness said that the NIS officers went round the city and abducted six personnel of the traffic agency before coming the TRACE office in Oke-Ilewo area of the state in a two unmarked vehicles, ‎a patrol van and a peach-colour Almera Nissan car.
When contacted the public relations officer of TRACE, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed that the immigration officers attacked their office and wounded four of their men, while six others were abducted in different areas of the city.
He said: "I got a call this morning that some of our men were picked around Abeokuta by some immigration officers. I learnt that they violated traffic rules around Sapon area and our men were trying to remove the number plate and pushed him and he fell.
"Presently the driver of that car had been taken to court for the contravention and attacking uniformed officers on duty."
The public relations officer of NIS, Ogun State command, Felix Kuti, also confirmed the reprisal attack, but he said the TRACE triggered the crisis by assaulting two of their officers.