THE INCIDENCE DESCRIBED HERE BY MR. EGWATU PATRICK IS OF DAILY OCCURRENCE IN BENIN. IT IS SAD MUCH MORE SO BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT OUR GOOD GOVERNOR HAS NOT SENT THESE SAVAGES. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY ARE BEING REFERRED TO AS OSHIOMOLES BOYS. MOST OF THE VICTIMS ARE THOSE RIDING IN VEHICLES CARRYING PLATE NUMBERS OF OTHER STATES OR EVEN PLATE NUMBERS NOT FROM BENIN CITY. EACH STORY LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE PATRICK HAS NARRATED SUGGESTING A FOLLOWING OF A WRTTEN SCRIPT. THE GOVERNMENT CAN NO LONGER PRETEND THAT ALL IS WELL WITH THIS DEPARTMENT. THE LEADERSHIP MUST SCANNED AND GOOD DECISION TAKEN. Every day, Naijs team of editors gets more and more letters sent to info@naij or to our Facebook page inbox. The mail we get concerns various topics: This time, we publish this outcry by Mr. Egwuatu Patrick, who resides in Orhuwhorun, Warri, Delta State. Is this calculated to sabotage the good work and intentions of Comrade Governor, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State? I boldly ask this question as a result of an incidence that happened in Benin City on 13th December, 2013 around 12:30pm at the Adesuwa roundabout. On this fateful day, I had traveled with my wife and two sons to Benin City for my daughters convocation at Benson Idahosa University. On getting to Benin, I called my daughter who was already in Benin to send someone to meet us at AP filling Station along Benin/Sapele Road and guide us to the university campus. As the guide located us at AP filling Station, we drove immediately behind him. When we got to the traffic lights at Adesuwa Junction, we were at the left hand side (inner lane) as we intended to branch into Adesuwa road. The green light (traffic light) was on, and our guide continued into Adesuwa road. As we were about to follow suit, a green-colored Audi 80 that had been on our right hand side drove into our front in attempt to make a u-turn thereby forcing my son who was driving to apply automatic brake. From nowhere, two men in the uniform of Edo State Traffic Management Agency (named Mr. Umutama Matthew and Mr. Monday Abu) came to us, forcefully entered the car and informed us that we beat the traffic light. I informed them that the traffic light was still on and that I expected them to arrest the driver of the green-colored Audi 80 for dangerous driving. They did not arrest the man and he drove away. They took us to their office in Zone 8 along Po Street, near Mosco Filling Station, Off Benin/Sapele Road. Along the way, they asked to settle them, so that they would let me go. But I refused insisting that I didnt commit any offence. I blamed them for not arresting the driver of the green colored Audi car who had driven recklessly. I accused them of arresting me because my car is a jeep. So, I refused to give them any bribe. With that annoyance, they threatened me that when we get to their office, my fine will be forty five thousand naira. But I didnt bulge. When we got to their office, along Po Street, they went into the office and after what seemed like eternity, one man came out and started copying my car number. He asked for my car keys and when I demanded to know why he is asking for it, he informed me that he had just booked me. I got furious informing him that his action is a supposition that he has found me guilty without hearing my own side of the story. Meanwhile, Mr. Umutama Matthew and Mr. Monday Abu had gone back to Adesuwa Junction. I was asked to pay a fine of twenty thousand naira as written in the booking. I demanded to see and talk with the person in charge of the station and was told that he was not on seat. I was taken to the number two man. On interaction with him, he explained to me that Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole needs fines paid by traffic offenders to run the affairs of government, and that the Agency is given a monthly target which must be achieved by all means. That Edo State does not have companies from whom to collect taxes. This got me very annoyed and I bared my mind to him that that assertion was a compete falsehood. How can somebody be condemned without being given a fair trial? How can he, the second-in-commander, accept the booking of my vehicle without first hearing my side of the story? Accepting the booking without taking my statement is tantamount to conviction without trial. He told me that that was their procedure. He told me that even I complained to anybody, nothing would come out of it, since it is a direct instruction from the government. He encouraged me to write to the government and complain since they the officers, and Edo State people were tired of such draculian laws. After being detained there for three hours, I was mentally exhausted and traumatized, I had no option but to pay a fine of ten thousand naira and missed my daughters convocation for an offence I did not commit. Even the arrival of the first- in- command Mr. Amadi later did not help matters as it seemed like they were acting a well scripted drama. It beats me hollow that Edo State Traffic Management Agency should instruct their officers to unjustly arrest visitors to Benin City because the government wants money to runs its affairs. I think this is the handiwork of the enemies of the Comrade Governor to discredit his genuine efforts. On my other previous visits to Benin City, I have witnessed on one or two occasions when bus and taxi drivers commited traffic offences and these so-called officers of the Edo State Traffic Management Agency did absolutely nothing to them. I wish to ask here, Is punishment for traffic offences in Edo State meant for visitors/strangers to Edo State? One would have expected that Edo State Traffic Management Agency officials should have been friendlier to an offender especially when it is discovered that such an offender is a visitor to the state. It is wicked for Edo State Traffic Management Agency officials lay traps for visitors in order to exploit them. If I may ask, How many Edo State indigenes are being harassed with traffic offences in other states? Unless if it is true that Edo State government created the agency as a means of raising revenue for running the affairs of Edo State, I would have thought that the duties of the Edo State Traffic Management Agency should be to guide and direct in a friendly manner and not to be the judge and hand out punishments and penalties. I wish to appeal to the Comrade Governor to reorganize the Edo State Traffic Management Agency. Some of its officers are agents of the governors enemies. How can an officer of government say to a total stranger that the Edo State Traffic Management Agency was established to raise money for the governance by the state government; that they are given a monthly target to be collected by all means? This simply means that to achieve this objective, both the guilty and the innocent must be arrested in order to achieve the set target. To the best of my knowledge, Edo State is an oil-producing state and collect taxes from its citizenry. So this story must be a fallacy as even non-oil producing states survive without intimidating innocent visitors to pay fines because government needs finances. I know that the Comrade Governor is aware that he is surrounded by many enemies from within but I want him to know that this is another dimension geared at rubbishing his noble efforts. Visitors to Edo State who are unjustly arrested and fined will certainly not be impressed by all the good works the comrade governor is doing and certainly will not tell good stories about Edo State when they get back to their states. To drive to Edo State has become frightful to me. After my Fridays experience, Im afraid that Ill be molested, arrested and fined on false charges any time I approach a traffic light in Benin City. With experience such as mine, how can tourism thrive in Edo State?
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 09:12:43 +0000
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