The Vice Chair, Association of Maritime Truck Owners in Lagos State, Ridwan Bello, has expressed frustration over persistent intimidation and extortion by hoodlums, allegedly sponsored by transport unions and local governments.
Bello revealed that the government had established the Lagos State Truck and Cargo Committee (LASTCOC) to address the issue but the problem still persists.
Failure to rein the hoodlums in and criminalise their activities will lead to a strike action that may cause losses of N20 billion daily, the truckers have said.
Speaking to ARISE News on Wednesday, Bello said, “The government has established an intervention program, which includes the creation of the Lagos State Truck and Cargo Committee (LASTCOC).
“This committee is responsible for addressing the illegal activities perpetrated by these union bodies.
”The hoodlums operate under a ‘disgraceful’ system, backed by their patrons and godfathers, including the ruling class and some members of RTEAN and NURTW.
“Despite the government’s intervention, they still haven’t found a basic solution to address the issue,” he said.
Bello said the truckers have numerous videos documenting the nefarious activities of hoodlums. “Only on the Lagos-Badagry expressway, we have over 60 checkpoints full of ‘extortion bandits…’
“They injure our drivers and vandalise our trucks. We can’t even meet up with the minimum safety standards put up by the Nigerian Port Authority.”
Bello alleged that the hoodlums make billions of naira monthly and refuse to back down due to the lucrative nature of their activities.
“‘The hoodlums are making billions of naira every month, and yet nobody is speaking out against them.
“They continue to operate day in and day out, generating enormous profits, and they refuse to back down.
“That’s why we have taken it upon ourselves; we are going to withdraw our services by the 12th of this month (September) and would shut down the port.”
Bello mentioned that the newly-built Lekki Port is already being targeted by the hoodlums, undermining cargo evacuation and trade facilitation.
“The newly-built Lekki Port is already being targeted by these hoodlums, who are undermining the entire purpose of cargo evacuation and trade facilitation.
“The ripple effects are numerous. How can we explain to investors that they risk having their goods hijacked by hoodlums lurking around the port area when they come to invest in Nigeria? It’s absolutely disgraceful.”
Bello continued, “The accused organisations were in attendance and claimed they were not involved, saying it’s just rascals on the road.
“However, when you look at the videos, they (hoodlums) are wearing their uniforms, and it’s obvious they don’t want to back out because of the money they’ve been making.
“This kind of money can be used to build ultra-modern truck parks, so trucks wouldn’t be on the highways.”
He further said “We need proactive measures where the government has to take them out – enough is enough.
“How do we explain that truck drivers are expected to drop containers in the middle of the night, only to be attacked and forced to pay N3,000?
“After collecting the money, the hoodlums still damage the trucks and injure the drivers’ eyes, saying, ‘For stressing us, we’ll give you a mark’.
“Now the driver is blind – someone trying to make a living for their family. Our drivers are dying day by day; we can’t stand this anymore,” he said.
Bello reported that police sting operations have been ineffective, with released hoodlums returning to the roads.
“We have written to the Office of the Vice President, and we’re pleading with the Presidency to please come to our aid,” he said.
Bello emphasised the need for proactive measures.
He said, “We want the government to criminalise the activity of these hoodlums, take them away from the road, so we can have sanity in the maritime subsector of the Nigerian Ports Authority.”
Boluwatife Enome
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