Transporters Lose 7 Members To Soludo’s Revenue Taskforce, Abandon Roads

By Alphonsus Nweze

After losing about 7 members to what is described as highhandedness of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s revenue taskforce, transporters in Anambra are now deserting the roads.

The situation, if not contained, is likely to lead to spike in fares on affected routes, with associated mid and long-term effects on the crime rate, observers fear.

Chairman of the Joint Transporters’ Forum in Anambra State, Prince Moses Ohanebo, who painted a worrisome picture of things in an interaction with journalists in Onitsha, that the crude method of revenue drive by a Soludo team was forcing members to abandon their business.

According to him, this was unlike an earlier idea of digitalising taxes’ collection in the state, thereby reducing the activities of touts, but wondered why the method was dropped.

Extortion, intimidation, harassment, beating and deaths from Governor’s touts have now become the order of the day, the union leader added.

The most hurting aspect of the development, Ohanebo said, is compelling all transporters, including those who had sent their vehicles to repair yards, or travelled out of town for one reason or another, to pay weekly taxes ahead. 

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This he said meant that members were mandated to pay for days they did not work, and that a lot of them were now outrightly dropping vehicles.

Appealing to the governor to intervene, he said,  one person died at Owerri Road in the hands of the Governor’s enforcement team, while  about three of their members were killed in Ihiala,  some in Oko,  Awka and other parts of the State.

The chairman said some of the people who are now collecting revenues were hoodlums they had earlier chased out, while some were in detention but were brought back to engage in touting which the Governor told the world that he would jettison when he assumed office.

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“Government created these touts. We were chasing them before. They should give us full backing to chase out these hoodlums”,. Ohanebo said.

“The State Government is not  doing anything to address our complaints. That is why we called the press to help us. He has not been given listening ears to us .He should give us opportunity to see him. Drivers are groaning and suffering”.

Lending a voice, the Assistant Secretary, Mr. Innocent Obagha, who is the Coordinator of Keke Rders in the Joint Forum said the touts masquerading as Soludo’s revenue taskforce, had been so empowered that they go about with Anambra State Vigilant Group (AVG), Ocha Brigade operatives and Policemen.

He said sometimes, their members were arrested, put inside Black Maria and taken to and detained for days at Awka.

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Such victims were usually compelled whatever amount mentioned, the unionist added. Other executive members of the association who spoke at the interaction were  Chief Alex Medani and Chief Udekwesi Cyprain among others.

The Eagle reports that the Joint Transporters’ Forum are made up of seven transport unions in the State: Heavy Duty, Tipper Union, United Mini Trucks, Shuttle Bus/Bus, Taxi Union, Keke Union and Okada Union.