Abuja taxi drivers cry out over extortion, harassment

Geziah Amos was booked more than twice in less than four months of starting a  taxi business. He said he used to park his car in front of a shopping mall at Lobito Crescent, Wuse II, as he waited for his turn to pick passengers.   “I was arrested for parking my car by the roadside […]

Geziah Amos was booked more than twice in less than four months of starting a  taxi business. He said he used to park his car in front of a shopping mall at Lobito Crescent, Wuse II, as he waited for his turn to pick passengers.  

“I was arrested for parking my car by the roadside here in Lobito and my vehicle was driven to Mabushi(VIO office) where I paid heavy fines before it was released,” he said.  

He said the situation had forced  him to be careful with the kind of passengers he picked because some of the security agents pose as passengers in a bid to arrest taxi drivers. 

“I do not pick whoever is over dressed or dressed suspiciously. So, before I pick a passenger, I watch very carefully to avoid being arrested,” he said.

Taxi drivers operating around Wuse Market Junction, Berger Roundabout and Wuse II areas of the city have alleged extortion and harassment by officials regulating transportation in the city.

Some officials of the taxi drivers association who spoke with our reporters alleged that for failing to build spacious bus stops and taxi parks around the aforementioned areas, taxi drivers were left with no choice than to park by the roadside and wait for passengers. They said by so doing, the police and VIO officials extort money from them and also harass them.

Aso Chronicle observed that there is always congestion at these major traffic junctions and commercial hubs in the city centre due to lack of designated bus stops and taxi parks.

The traffic scenes at Bannex to Wuse Market; Berger Roundabout to Jabi Garage; Wuse Zone 4 to Wuse Zone 6; Area 1 to Area 10 are usually chaotic especially at rush hours. 

The chairman of the Painted Abuja Taxi (PAT) at Wuse Market gate, Dipo Ebis, said his members were exposed to incessant arrests by members of the Joint Ministerial Task Force whenever they tried picking up or dropping passengers. He said he has been arrested twice already this year. 

He said more is expected from the transport secretariat in ensuring that taxi operators have a conducive business environment to operate in the city.  

He said due to lack of taxi parks, the drivers are always on alert when picking passengers adding that they have been forced to use several places as parks before resorting to the green areas opposite the Wuse Market where they pick passengers going to Bannex and Amigo in Wuse II. He said taxi business is only for the brave hearted in the territory, 

“We used to park by the roadside and wait for passengers, but we were always on the lookout for members of the task force who usually come and harass us,” he said.

Ebis who had been driving taxi for more than five years said his vehicle was towed to the VIO’s office in Wuye where he was made to pay fines of about N5,000 before it was released. He said the fines varied depending on the offense. He said the ‘illegal’ space they now use could only accommodate 30 vehicles out of the 350 members of his branch.

Ebis said their challenges were not limited to the motor parks but also bus stops as there were no designated bus stops on the route he plied. “From Wuse Market to Wuse II, there is no place we can park to take passengers; we always park with caution because security agents could arrest you any time for parking wrongly,” he said.

For Ismaila Muhammad, the chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) at Bannex junction said their continued stay at the junction to pick passengers was because of the understanding they have with security agencies.

He said he has been arrested more than 10 times by members of the Ministerial Joint Task Force. He urged the government to look into the issue  adding  that  there   were several graduates among the taxi drivers that took up taxi driving business instead of engaging in crime. 

“We have been trying to bring ourselves together but it has not been easy because of the challenges with the task force but the police are our friend,” he said.  

He said they have made effort to be given a specific place to work “but when we go to the VIO or any transport authority, they will tell us that there is no space in Abuja and that is a very big challenge. Anytime VIOs are coming, we have to run; we have no option because if you stay they will arrest you,” he said. 

The Transport Secretary of the Transport Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Kayode Opeifa, in a recent meeting with Licensed Taxi Operators said all taxis with Operator’s Licence are allowed to pick and drop off the road when properly parked and not willingly obstructing traffic.

Opeifa in the guidelines for passenger service (commercial) vehicles, operating within the FCT, stated the position of the government on the provision of bus stops and car parks for commercial vehicles in the territory. 

Some taxi drivers have however said  the policy statement is ambiguous and leaves room for traffic wardens and security agencies to exploit them. Some called for the creation of recognised bus stops where they can pick and drop off passengers. 

The coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Umar Shuaibu, said there were no parks for smooth operations of taxis. He, however, said there were lay-bys for the drivers to stop and pick up passengers in most places in the city centre.

“They are supposed to be found only on the lay-bys but as it is, they have become some sort of nuisance as they feel they can park their vehicles even in the middle of the main road to pick up passengers,” he said. 

He  acknowledged that some of the lay-bys have become too tight for the commercial vehicles due to influx of people into the city, adding that the FCTA is working on new allocations in order to ease traffic congestion.