Lagos State committee on removal of abandoned vehicles extorting truckers — AMATO

TRUCKERS under the aegis of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) have accused the Lagos State committee set up to remove abandoned vehicles along the ports access roads of extortion.

In a letter sent to the Nigerian Tribune by the Chairman of AMATO, Chief Remi Ogungbemi, the group stated that the committee members chase truckers in the company of military personnel and thugs armed with bottles, cutlasses guns and other dangerous weapons.

According to the letter which was addressed to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, “It has become expedient for us to draw your attention to the unsavoury activities of the above-mentioned committee.

“Their activities have become daylight and night robbery for truckers. They move around in the company of military personnel and thugs armed with bottles, cutlasses guns and other dangerous weapons. They attack various empty container depots and garages in order to assault drivers, forcefully hijack and drive away their trucks and later book the trucks as being towed by slamming outrageous bills ranging between N150,000 to N250,000 on them.

“All these deliberate act of impunity, lawlessness, abuse of power and barbaric manner of operation by members of the committee on the removal of abandon truck is not only destroying the good intention of the government but also portraying the government in a bad light.

“We have written several letters to the governor without any response. Therefore, we are once again using this medium to let the governor and the public know the travail we truckers have been passing through in the hands of this committee and which forms part of the reasons why most of our trucks are in rickety and dilapidated conditions. The money we ought to have used to maintain these trucks are being forcefully and unlawfully collected from us by members of this committee without the issuance of receipt.

“Moreover, the creation of the committee on the removal of abandoned truck in Lagos State in the presence of a more civilized, organized and well-trained traffic agency like LASTMA is duplication of function and waste of Lagos State Government resources. LASTMA is more qualified and competent to handle better what committee on abandon truck was established to do.”

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