Commercial Vehicle Drivers in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State have lamented over alleged extortions, mal treatment by Anambra State Road Traffic Management Agency and Anambra Special This is even as they reported the alleged acts to the appropriate Authorities in the area.
Some of the Drivers who spoke to this medium however called on the Government and the general public to come to their aid pointing out that they follow all the laid down rules governing driving in the area.
One of the victims, who gave his name as Anyika revealed the attacks were carried out by the ARTMA and anti-touting operatives adding that
two government agencies had been attacking them at the TRACAS bus stop and other designated bus stops in Onitsha with dangerous weapons such as matchetes, pestles, sticks and iron rods, and seized their vehicles simply because they parked to drop off passengers.
suddenly the ARTMA and anti-touting operatives i
Anothee victim who gave his name as as Ochasi hinted“I parked at a bus stop at Upper Iweka to drop off passengers, when suddenly the operatives rushed at me and started hitting me with weapons.
He, however, called on the governor to intervene and save them from intimidation from the anti-touting squad and ARTMA in the state, saying: “I don’t know why they will continue to beat us for committing no offence. My vehicle is registered to ply this route. I have been paying all my levies and taxes to government as and when due. We are unjustly suffering in the hands of ARTMA and anti-touting squad in this state.”
Another bus driver in Onitsha, an 80-year-old Ugo Okoro, begged the governor to look into the matter, saying it was unfair and unacceptable for the operatives to continue to brutalise them even in their old age, in the name of enforcing the law.
Okoro said, “One of the drivers beaten up by the officials is a 70-year-old man who drives a shuttle bus as a means of feeding his family. The ARTMA and anti-touting operatives should be arresting those who commit offence and not storming approved an park and arresting everybody just to extort money.
“ARTMA is colluding with the state anti-touting squad to brutalise and extort money from us. They inflicted injuries on my legs and I am in pains right now. When they arrest any driver, they will take him to their office and demand N50,000 against the governor’s directive of N5,000.
“The governor had promised us that he would establish a drivers’ management committee but until now, nothing has happened and we don’t know whom to turn to in this kind of situation.”
“Last week, when we met with the commercial bus drivers, we agreed they should pick and drop passengers only on the service lane as that is not just the standard practice, it is also the safe thing to do to prevent loss of lives. A few days later, we received a lot of calls on our customer care numbers about the challenges they had on the service lane.
“The agency revisited Onitsha and assured the drivers that ‘No Parking Tow Zone’ signs would be placed on the service lane to stop private car users who park on the service lane. These private car owners park on both sides of the service lane,
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“Inasmuch as we want you all to operate seamlessly in Anambra State, we also urge you to do the right things so other road users can have right of way too,” he said.
In his submission, the spokesman for the anti-touting squad, Nweke Nweke, insisted that those who inflicted injuries on the drivers were not its members.
Nweke said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the state anti-touting mandate is to rid all the nook and cranny of the state of touts.
The war against touting in the state as you are aware is gathering momentum and those touts have mobilised to impersonate anti-touting operatives by going around with unmarked vehicles and even Keke, from where they attack drivers just to give us a bad name.
“Let me use this medium to urge the members of the public to call 09038381276 at anytime the impersonators are sighted anywhere across the state.”
On why the anti-touting operatives go about with matchetes, cutlasses and pestles, Nweke simply said, “They are all protective weapons.”
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