The Abia State Government has been called on to ensure immediate disciplinary action against officers of the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), Aba Zone, involved in the brazen extortion and unlawful harassment of a private motorist, Mr. Obinna Nwagbara, on Thursday.
The victim, Mr. Nwagbara, the Executive Director of Youth and Students Advocates for Development Initiative (YSAD) was said to have been flagged down at Bata Junction, Aba, by officers of the VIO, who demanded vehicle particulars and a driver’s license.
The victim reportedly cooperated fully and presented all requested items, including fire extinguisher, a caution triangle, a spare tire, and a jack, but, the VIO officers proceeded to unlawfully seize his driver’s license, fire extinguisher, and vehicle documents, citing the absence of a first aid box as justification.
According to the victim, he was coerced to the VIO office in Aba, where he was compelled to part with ₦20,000 under duress, and later asked to ‘settle’ with ₦5,000 to retrieve his seized items.
According to the Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS), these acts by the VIO officers amount to extortion, abuse of office, and a violation of the victim’s constitutional rights to dignity, fair hearing, and freedom from degrading treatment, as guaranteed under Sections 34 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
In a statement on Friday, the Executive Director of CEHRAWS, Chuka Okoye regretted that the VIO officers under the Abia State Ministry of Transport, are now acting in defiance of existing judicial pronouncements which restrain them from mounting roadblocks or conducting vehicle stops on public roads.
The CEHRAWS boss recalled several court decisions, which have held that state VIO officers lack legal authority to stop vehicles on public highways or carry out enforcement actions tantamount to policing, an act exclusively within the purview of lawfully designated agencies.
According to him, the continued presence of VIO operatives on Abia roads, harassing and extorting money from motorists, is not only illegal but constitutes an affront to public decency and the rule of law.
The group demanded a public apology and compensation to the victim for the unlawful seizure of his property, psychological distress, and financial loss, as well as a clear directive from the State Government banning VIO officers from engaging in enforcement activities on roads in Abia State, in line with subsisting court judgments.
Okoye also called for the disbandment of all VIO road checkpoints across the state, especially those operated with the intent to extort and intimidate.
“We demand a comprehensive audit and investigation of VIO activities and all funds unlawfully collected from road users under the guise of enforcement.
“The ‘New Abia’ under Governor Alex Otti cannot and must not be associated with institutional corruption or regulatory banditry. The Government must act swiftly to cleanse the system and uphold the integrity of public institutions by ensuring that agencies like the VIO operate strictly within the bounds of law and ethics.
“Failure to act decisively will not only signal complicity but will deepen public distrust in the government’s professed reform agenda.
“CEHRAWS remains committed to defending the rights of citizens and will not hesitate to initiate legal action or public advocacy campaigns to expose and dismantle entrenched systems of abuse and extortion,” Okoye maintained.
