On April 27, President Muhammadu Buhari during his third nationwide broadcast on measures taken by the government to curb the spread of the coronavirus announced a ban on non-essential interstate travels. The president also declared a nationwide curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
At Jibowu, touts made no attempt to hide their operations as they openly solicited for passengers and goods into several Toyota Sienna minivans parked along the main road and adjoining streets. No security personnel or state government enforcement officials were seen around. “You know El-Rufai blocking entry into Kaduna and we may be arrested or have to be quarantined for 14 days before entering,” said a worried passenger, taking a piece of furniture to Kaduna.Travellers first hint of the free-for-all extortion on the roads was the astronomical hike in fares. In some routes, passengers were charged up to 160 per cent more than the usual fare.
Almost all security outfits in the country – the police, the military, the Nigerian Vigilante Group, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and even officials of states’ COVID-19 taskforces and employees of the construction company, RCC, participated in the free-for-all shakedown of mainly commercial motorists flouting the presidential order.
Close to Okada in Edo State, the driver of the minivan who had become increasingly cranky after spending a good chunk of his earned fare on bribing security personnel tried to evade a checkpoint manned by operatives of the police highway patrol units, he was pursued and intercepted at a checkpoint less than 300 metres away manned by operatives of the same team whose blockade he had tried to breach seconds ago.
The policemen later demanded a bribe of N15,000 to let the passengers and minivan go. After about 40 minutes of negotiation, they reduced it to N5,000. At this time, the bus driver had become full-blown irritable and said he was not going to pay the bribe from the fare: his passengers had to raise N5,000 among themselves to pay off the policemen.
Video and photos of a gate at the boundary between Anambra and Imo built my the Imo State government. Motorists from Owerri who were determined to get to Aba had to drive through villages where they were also extorted by villagers who placed blockages on roads.
Source: Holiday News (holidaynews.net)
Some times I wonder are they sure they even train them on the same title of their job description ? Clearly this is robbery !!
Until when all the bus drivers start doing the right thing as a good citizen before this whole mess can be eradicated,eg most drives don’t have driving licenses and even their bus documentation zero..My opinion though ✌🏻
The issue of Nigeria is beyond repair ..
Accountability of revenue! 👍🏽
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