Police detain LASTMA official for disrupting APC ward congress

The police in Lagos State has detained Ismail Omoniyi, an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, following allegations that he hijacked the accreditation list of voters in the Oke-Afa ward to abort the ward congress of the All Progressives Congress.
The ward congress was in progress on Saturday when Omoniyi carried out the act.
The complainant, Ibukun Akindolie, said he was writing the names of the members of the party, who turned up to vote in the ward congress, when Omoniyi approached his desk and forcefully took the accreditation list.
The incident led to rumpus at the Low Cost Housing Estate Primary School, Ejigbo Local Council Development Authority, venue of the ward congress, causing the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ejigbo Police Division, A.M. Dankoli, to invite both the complainant and the accused to the police station at Ejigbo.
The complainant was later allowed to go home while Omoniyi was detained in the cell.
However, a few hours after his detention, Dankoli received calls from the Chairman of Isolo Local Council Development Area, Hon. Shamsudeen Olaleye. and the Member, House of Representatives for Oshodi/Isolo, Hon. Akeem Muniru, urging him to release Omoniyi.
Dankoli resisted the pressure, explaining that the conduct of the detainee was criminal and would need to be charged to court.
Then he received a call from the Area Commander of the Zone D, ACP A. Garba, who asked that the case be transferred to his office.
It was learnt that both Olaleye and Akeem had put pressure on the Area Commander to ensure that the case was not charged to court.
Both of them were at the Zone D headquarters of the police on Saturday and Sunday trying to seek the release of the suspect.
In a petition written to the State Congress Committee Chairman, Dr. Garuba Abari, the conference of candidates in the Oke-Afa ward asked that the election disrupted by Omoniyi be held again.
They alleged that Omoniyi, who belonged to the Crusader Group founded by the Interim State Chairman, Chief Henry Ajomale, disrupted the event by seizing the accreditation list when the group found that they had scant followers at the ward congress.
They accused another member of the group and chairmanship aspirant, Femi Ibinie, of seizing and tearing the voting slip of one Hakeem Oduyoye to frustrate the voting process and provoke crisis.