Ugo Nosiri, Owerri
Commercial bus drivers in Imo State have taken to the streets to protest what they described as relentless harassment and intimidation by task force agents in the state.
The protesters under the auspices of the Drivers Welfare Association, expressed frustration over alleged illegal actions by the task force agents.
The drivers disrupted operations by intercepting buses and offloading passengers from vehicles in front of Region Hospital Mgbirichi along the Owerri-Port Harcourt Road, saying their goal was to draw the Governor’s attention to their plight.
One of the protesters who gave his name as Chinedu, lamented the escalating abuses by the taskforce despite the Governor’s recent directive dissolving illegal task forces.
Mr Chinedu alleged that the task force members drag them out of their vehicles, confiscate their keys, beat them up, and even puncture their tyres.
He called on the Governor to urgently address their concerns.
Another protester, Umah Samuel Azubuike, decried the negative image the situation is giving the State Government, and wondered if the Governor was aware of activities of the agents.
“They seize your bus and claim that the ‘Governor said this, Governor said that,’ but I doubt if truly he authorized this,” he complained.
Many drivers claimed their vehicles had been seized and taken to undisclosed locations by the task force, and called for an investigative committee to probe the perpetrators.
The protesting drivers vowed to continue their demonstrations “until the Governor intervenes.”
