Ogun quarry operators alleged govt officials’ extortion, intimidation
Quarry operators in Ogun State, under the auspices of the Society of Quarry and Mining Operators, on Wednesday, alleged that some officials of the state government and a consulting company had been using armed policemen from the Governor’s Office to extort and intimidate its members involved in lawful sand dredging activities.
The society specifically accused the Consultant to the Governor, Mr. Lekan Onamusi and a firm, Dredge Consult of allegedly using “heavily armed” mobile policemen to enforce “illegal demand” and collection of fees, taxes and charges from its members, in spite of the existence of three different court orders forbidding the state government from doing so.
According to them, in addition to the royalties paid by the members of the society to the Federal Government every year, the state government through the consultant to the governor and Dredge Consult had imposed charges ranging from N300 to N1800 per trip daily on each truck, depending on the tonnes and N250, 000 annually per dredger for permit.
The society alleged that these charges were being forcibly collected with the aid of armed policemen deployed from the Governor’s Office.
The state Chairman of the Society, Mr. Sola Aikulola, at a news conference in Abeokuta stated that the use of policemen by the state government officials to collect such illegal charges had long been outlawed by the Inspector General of Police.
“Our members are being forced to pay N300 on five tonnes, N600 on ten tonnes and N1800 on 30 tonnes truck per trip every day. Also, Dredge Consult is demanding N250, 000 per year from each dredger, contrary to the meeting held previously with the operators.
