No one died during taskforce/taxi drivers clash in Wuse market – Opeifa

….No, he lied, say drivers

Secretary of Transport of the Federal Capital Territory (FCTA), Kayode Opeifa, has denied that anybody died during the disturbance between operatives of the Directorate of Road Transport Services (VIO) Taskforce and cab operators at Wuse area of the FCT on Wednesday.

He however said that one of the drivers who resisted arrest by the Joint Task Force operatives was injured and has been handed over to the Police.

“From the information available to me, there was no death recorded, the information before us is that the trouble started when some commercial taxi drivers’ resisted arrest, a man called Ya’dua called me to inform me of that but as I can tell you, the men of the police force has moved in to put the situation under control.

According to comrade Opeifa, one striking thing is that people should be law abiding and the fact that people take law into their hands would not be accepted. He also noted that his administration, is going to address the issue of the law enforcement agencies or the tax force acting beyond their capacity.

Also speaking over the matter, the Public Relations Officer of Department of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Kalu Emetu, also claimed that no death was recorded during the encounter, he however said he was going to release an official statement when he gets details from the field operatives.

“First of all let me correct the impression that the task force is headed by a VIO officer, the task force is not headed by any VIO officer, Shehu is just a member of the joint task force. That idea of of tagging somebody, I don’t think there is anybody who can verify that claim.I can also tell you that nobody was killed, you have to get this reaction from those who were in the field operation, who cannot hear just from the drivers. The task force has a Public Relation Unit, and I think they are in a better position to react to this. The information I have at the moment is sketchy, am going to issue a statement” Emetu said.

Secretary of the ministerial taskforce Mr. Peter Olumuji, while speaking with Daily Times almost shortly after the clash confirmed that there has not been any death as was reported by sections of the media. “it is unfortunate that some sections of the media, has reported that there was death but it was not so and I can tell you now that the men said to have died is with the Wuse police station. I can also tell you that my team is right now heading to the point of clash to put the crises under control”.

The popular Wuse Market, located at the City Centre of the nation’s capital was at the early hours of Wednesday thrown into chaos as Taxi drivers blocked all the major access roads leading to the market to protest alleged killing of one of their colleague by members of the Abuja Metropolitan Joint task force.

The mayhem allegedly started when the Task Force Team swooped on the drivers, both at Berger and Wuse bus stops to arrest some drivers who were packed at unauthorized points to pick passengers.

An eye witness account has it, that the driver who was reportedly killed refused to surrender his car key to an armed security operative, a member of the team, and when an argument ensued, the security officer hit the driver with the butt of his gun.

The driver was said to have fallen down, and when the team saw that he had died they allegedly pick the dead body and put into their truck to drive away, the account said that the drivers became more enraged when they saw the corps of their colleague been taken away.

The drivers said they will continue with the protest until government address the harassment of the Task Force Team that was becoming unbearable, as the task force team members were said to be using the taxi drivers as their cash cows.

One of the drivers, Chukwudi Okonkwo who spoke to New Telegraph, said the government should come out clear on the issue of bus stop in Abuja, because when taxi drivers stop at designated bus stops, the Joint Task Force members who go about with thugs will still harass and extort money from the drivers.

According to him, the Joint Task Force operatives will collect between N10,000 to N20,000 from taxi drivers without any receipt. He said at the point your car is been impounded by the Joint Task Force, you must pay the unreceipted fees before you are let loose from their hook.

The protesting drivers who said they were fed up with the harassment of the task force team, also stated that they will continue with their protest until the Joint Task Force is scrapped, because they have a rubbery gang that go about to extort money from motorists.

Chukwudi Okonkwo a taxi driver “What is happening here is the same thing that has been happening for a very long time, it is a joint task force comprising of the Army, Navy, Police, Civil Defence and the Prison Warners and headed by Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO). They always move about with their trucks and even black Maria, When they come to the bus stop and sometimes on the road, they will come with thugs who usually pretend to be passengers, once you stop for them they will arrest you. When they enter your motor, they will take you to their office at Wuye, where Shehu who is the gang leader.

“Once the VIO collect your papers you will be charged between N10,000 to N25,000, which you must pay without receipt and nobody gives questions them. I repeat it no receipt is given to nobody. I as a person have been arrested for more than seven times.

“Today’s trouble started when the task force people came to wise market bus stop and started harassing people at the bus stop, that was when the drivers resisted them because it was becoming too much. We have been planning to protest this harassment because they were beginning to treat us as people who don’t know their rights. How will they come a designated bus stop and start arresting taxi drivers” Okonkwo said.

Another driver, Mustapha Dahiru said that one driver who refused to surrender himself to them at Berger junction was killed when one of the armed security operatives hit his head with the butt of his gun.

Idu Jude Abuja