Hyacinth Chinweuba/Additional Report
Some persons who claimed to be officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) assisted by some overzealous operatives of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) on Friday manhandled and beat up a Daily Trust correspondent in Lagos at a filling station.
The journalist, Mr. Kayode Ogunwale was on queue to buy fuel at FUMEC filling station opposite Adeniyi Jones junction along Acme road Ikeja Lagos.
The unidentified officials had stormed the filling station in a white Toyota Hiace Bus with number plate KSF 69 BV at around 1pm.
A security man at the filling station reportedly opened the gate for the bus from the exit after introducing themselves as members of NNPC task force.
They comprised two gun-wielding men who said they were DSS officials while three others said they were DPR staff.
Though, none of them was wearing the DPR apron, owner of the filling station allowed them access to her tank to measure the amount of fuel in her stock.
They however ordered that the filling station should continue to sell to motorists on queue.
Daily Trust reported that one of its correspondent who was also at the station suddenly observed one of the DSS officials having an altercation with his colleague until things went awry when the supposed DSS operative began to drag him to their bus.
The second Reporter who introduced himself as his colleague approached the officials while they dragged Ogunwale to the bus but they kept on saying he was rude to them.
Asked specifically, what he did, none of them responded and continued to drag him up to their bus. They closed the door and began to beat him.
He was helpless as other motorists who were pleading with them to release the journalist were shunned.
They continued to beat him until he forced himself out of the bus.
There were scratches on his cheeks and forehead. His cloths were roughened while his phone was seized.
One of the DPR officials claimed that the journalist was obstructing them from performing their duty, that was why they ordered the security operatives to beat him up.
After the journalist was severely beaten and ‘left off the hook’, the ‘DSS official’ who manhandled and beat up the journalist also said, “Go and call all the journalists in Lagos and meet us at our office in Shangisa. Because you are journalist, you should be rude to us”.
The owner of the petrol station, a middle-aged woman who refused to give her name, said the task force wrongly beat up the journalist, saying he did not disrespect them in anyway.
“May be the Federal Government gave them the order to come and be beating up a journalist. Is that the way they were trained?
They only came to my filling station and said they were from NNPC task force. I was selling at the official rate, not selling inside jerry cans. So I don’t know what they have come to do. Who knows maybe they are even thieves?”
Also speaking, another eyewitness, Olusegun Ibrahim said, “When the SSS people came, one of the guys that came with them, the fair tall guy, stood on the way while the guy (Ogunwale) was moving his car and his car did not even come close.
Then the tall guy from DPR started threatening him and he said you don’t have the right to do anything for me and then the SSS guy that wears faze cap just came, dragged him to the vehicle and beat him until he left this place. That’s what I witnessed. This must stop, we must fight for our right”