Emeka Ibemere
Tricycle
operators plying Ojodu-Bagger, Ogba and Ascon-Boulos- First Gate route at Ogba,
Lagos State have petitioned the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode over
officials of the Vehicle Inspection Officers, VIO, Lagos State Transport
Management Authority (LASTMA), touts belonging to the Local Council Development
Areas, LCDA, and other agencies for harassing and extorting money from them.
The alleged
criminal activities of the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) and policemen
from Area G has come to the notice of the populace during their reckless and
out of the law activities by impounding their tricycles, popularly known as
Keke Marwa.
Despite the
orders of the governor against nefarious activities of the LASTMA, the VIO and
LASTMA officials are still extorting money from the tricycle operators.
According to
those who summon courage to talk to our correspondent last week during the
launch of www.stopthebribes.net in Lagos State, before the representatives of
the Inspector General of Police, said when police arrest any of them, sometimes
for a minor thing like stopping where we are not supposed to, instead warning,
they would demand between N5000 and N7, 000.
Commenting further on the activities of the
VIO officials, Ude Chisom Ude, gave out his petition to journalists at the
event in Ojodu’s office of the CLEEN Foundation and said the Governor should
investigate the VIO, LASTMA, Police and some touts working for Local government
councils.
Ude said the
policemen have left what they supposed to do and start chasing okada riders and
tricycle operators about extorting money from them.
According to
Ude, touts and area boys, or urchins recruited as revenue collectors on daily
basis harass, and inflict physical assaults on the tricycle operators who are
genuinely working for their daily bread on flimsy traffic laws. You need also
to know that the Nigeria police collaborates and encourage these bunch of lazy
touts and area boys as against the diligent Nigerians”, he said.
“Even some of their violent proceeds are
called police money-(Owo-police)’. it might also interest you to know that
these miscreants have the full backing, support, protection and even control
over the Nigeria police than any law abiding citizens to the extent that when
you resist their intimidations, the touts arrest you and hand you over to the
police who now subjects you to humiliation and from their to detention as a
deterrent to others”.
Ude explained that an idle tout and agbero who
are not working are making millions of naira on daily basis at the expense of
ordinary hardworking citizens. Are all these not corruption and are they not
economic and financial crimes that involves billions of naira daily committed
against the wish and will of Nigerians. He queried. The petitioner called on
Ambode to try and help the grassroots for they are now in distress and despair.
Ude narrated how he was skinned N50, 000 for using a plate number he registered
in Ogun State.
He said VIO
officials arrested him with his Ogun State plate number and impound his
tricycle until he paid N50, 000 which he paid and obtained receipt. According
to him, the VIO officials in Lagos State told him that he cannot use the Ogun
State number in Lagos because it’s not allowed. According to him, Lagos State
issued their number and later stopped issuing the numbers without any excuse
and doesn’t allow any number from the neighbouring states. Speaking further,
Ude said the VIO officials denied tricycle operators to operate and ply some
roads without official orders and are using it to extort money from them. The
license was obtained at the cost of N20, 000 in Ogun State while in Lagos State
it was N15, 000 before the VIO officials turned it into money-making machine
through extortions.
In Ikotun
area of Alimosho, the situation is not different; VIO officials are accused of
making illegal money through extorting by impounding their tricycles for not
using Lagos numbers while they refused to issue the numbers to them. It was
gathered that they want to make money before start issuing the numbers. VIO
officials always mount checkpoints to arrest and impound tricycles on daily
basis in Ikotun, Alimosho areas. Tricycles pay as high as N10, 000 as bribes to
recover their tricycles. “If you come out early in the morning and they catch
you, they will ask you to pay N5, 000 or N7, 000 before they can release your
tricycle”, Nwosu Akachi stated.
“We don’t
work full day again, and we have to wait till four o’ clock in the evening to
come out and during that time, police will start their own. We don’t meet up on
our delivery again because by the time you paid police, touts you go home with
nothing. We want the new Governor, Ambode and President Buhari to come to our aides”.
“If they
arrest you, they will just write any amount they like and you will be begging
them to reduce it. But they will not listen. The amount can be up to N25, 000
or sometimes even N35, 000”.
In Isolo
area, Mustapha Ojo, lamented over the activities of LASTMA, VIO and police, and
said all of the agencies are corrupt and making things difficult for the common
man. At Ikotun roundabout, Ijegun-Abaranje junction and Ikotun-Igando traffic
junction are the worse place where VIO, Police and touts work hand-in hand to
extort the tricycles. The police
extortion of the tricycles is very disheartening. Every tricycle is forced to
pay N300, at any of these junctions and each junction is N100, per day. Failure
to pay attracts impounding of the bike and it’s affecting the tricycles.
Our
correspondent reports that he had had cause to intervene in some cases where
VIO officials arrested tricycle operator for not operating with Lagos number
but with Ogun State number.
It’s
observed that VIO and LASTMA officials are enjoying a field day extorting money
on daily basis without any justification. It’s on this ground that Ude said the
government should come to the aid of the tricycle operators. “We are begging
them to leave us alone because we are only struggling for our daily bread”, Ude
stated.
It was
gathered that the Vehicle Inspection Office Driver and Vehicle Licensing
Administration (VIO-DVLA) is of the Ministry of Transport in the states of the
federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. State VIO have autonomy on
the VIO-DVLA platform, but shares information across the states. Our investigation claimed that because of
they enjoy autonomy; each state determines its operations as its run through
administration through its Ministry of Transport.
According to
one of the officials of the tricycle operators in Ikotun, Lagos, the state’s
VIO, carry out alleged indiscriminate arrests, double charging of tricycle
operators, extortion of tricycles owners, impounding of the bikes on weak
reasons, asking them to pay money into officers’ account, as against the
appropriate accounts. Checks revealed
that the issuance of driver and vehicle licenses is an exclusive preserve of
the state government under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria. The Vehicle Inspection Office is constitutionally authorised to issue
valid drivers’ licence in any state of the Federation. But in Lagos State,
Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) is frustrating the users of the tricycles
from getting their tricycles registered. Lagos State VIO regards any plate
number from another state as fake plate number.
“If you get
into their compound, you will see cars. I was arrested for fake plate number.
And all of us who were arrested on that day were charged with the same offence
others were charged with fake drivers’ licences were declared fake despite the
fact that the licenses had been issued by the same VIO,” Mrs Dorothy Ekwueme said. An effort to reach the Director of Vehicle
Inspection Service at the Lagos State VIO, Engineer Abdullaziz Toriola, to get
his reaction through calls to his phone was unsuccessful as he neither picked
his phone.
A search on
the operations of the agency on their website shows nothing on their website
except the operations of the VIO.
“This is the
Vehicle Inspection Office Driver and Vehicle Licensing Administration
(VIO-DVLA) of the 36 States of the
Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The Department for Vehicle
Inspection in the States of the Federation views with serious concern the high
rate of accidents on Nigeria roads as a result of lack of SKILL, KNOWLEDGE and
the right ATTITUDE of drivers. Applicants for driving license must obtain
Provisional Driving License and will be issued a full driving license on
successful completion of the theory test and practical driving examination by
the Vehicle Inspection Office”, the site said.
“If you have
obtained full driving license by proxy from any State or Federal agent without
being tested and certified competent to drive on Nigeria roads by a qualified
Vehicle Inspection Officer, you may have been issued a fake driving license and
you need to Authenticate your current drivers' license now. By authenticating
your driving license you will be issued the Vehicle Inspection Office
authentication certificate”.
According to
the site, each State is however independent on the VIO-DVLA platform but shares
information across the States of the Federation. The general public is hereby
informed that the issuance of driving licenses and other motor vehicle related
taxes are exclusive preserves of the States under the 1999 constitution as
amended. All applicants for driving license are strongly advised to visit the
nearest Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) or the State Board of Internal Revenue.
Alternatively, applicants can submit an online application here All applicants
must be tested and certified competent by a testing officer before they are
issued drivers' license”, the organisation warned.
It was
gathered that every vehicle registered in Nigeria must be taxed if used or kept
on a public road. If the vehicle is kept off-road it must either be taxed or
have a VOPRN (Vehicle off Public Road Notice) in force. If not it could be
wheel clamped or removed. Before you can
obtain a vehicle license (vehicle tax) you must first have MOT test of your
vehicle and have a suitable insurance cover in place. “The wrong insurance
cover, an overdue MOT, insurance certificates that are incorrect, misplaced or
late arriving, these can all stop you from taxing your vehicle on time. Your
vehicle tax information is registered on our database. You must inform VIODVLA
if you sell, transfer, and scrap or export your vehicle; otherwise you will
continue to be responsible for taxing it even though you no longer have it”.
Vehicle Registration is required and mandatory to enable any vehicle user to
carry out other vehicle related services. But taxes collected on behalf of the
states by VIO officials are not remitted to the governments because the money
they collect from tricycles and vehicle owners are extortion and bribes. At the
office of the VIO in Ejigbo, an officer declined comment because he wasn’t in
position to talk and referred our correspondent to the headquarters in Alausa,
Ikeja.
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