Commercial bus drivers protest alleged extortion by Enugu traffic marshals
NAN-H-42
Drivers
By Reporters
Enugu, Feb. 26, 2018 (NAN) Commuters in Enugu metropolis were on Monday stranded for several hours as commercial drivers protested alleged extortion by government taskforce on transportation.
The demonstrators numbering over 1,000 marched round major streets of the capital city with placards and terminated at the Government House.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that that school children, workers and traders were mostly affected as the strike by the operators started by 6am.
A national official of the union, Mr Anthony Asogwa, told NAN that the taskforce under the supervision of the state Ministry of Transport had made life unbearable for them.
Asogwa and former Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Enugu, said that their members had endured enough harassment by the taskforce.
“Our members are not happy because of the harassment, extortion and maltreatment they receive from the ministry of transport road marshals.
“We are calling on the government to either withdraw them or reorganise their activities,’’ Asogwa said.
At the Government House, a spokesman of the group, Mr Angel Onyemuwa, said that their members were attacked indiscriminately by members of the taskforce.
Onyemuwa said that fines imposed on them ranged between N30,000 and N70,000.
He said that most of their members had lost valuable items, including batteries to the task force.
He said that most of the transport road marshals operate with their private vehicles and charge them N10,000 in lieu of government approved fines.
Responding, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who received the protesters, appealed to them to call off the strike in order to avert the hardship it had brought on commuters.
Ugwuanyi said that whatever problems they had with the taskforce marshals would be addressed immediately.
“I appeal to you to call off the strike immediately for economic activities to take off again in the state. This problem will be solved permanently today,” he said.
The governor said that a joint taskforce made up of representatives of the ministry and the commercial drivers would be set up to look into the matter.
He said that the traffic marshals must do their work in line with international best practices.
Ugwuanyi assured them that all vehicles impounded by the taskforce would be released forthwith unconditionally. (NAN)
EOA/OFN/MNA
Edited by Felix Nwadioha/Maureen Atuonwu