It’s no longer news that all vehicles heading to Owerri, Aba, Umuahia, Uyo, Calabar and other cities across the Niger, especially those coming from Lagos can’t move beyond Onitsha once its 07:00 pm.
Bus drivers acting under instructions from their various transport company management never move beyond Onitsha after 07:00 pm and the reason is not far-fetched. Armed robbers are having a field day at Obosi, a border town to Onitsha. There’s a portion of the road at Obosi where a bridge is being constructed. That is their rendezvous. They rob, maim, shoot and kill both passengers and drivers.
They do whatever they like to passengers without any security agency of the government challenging or dislodging them.
But the robbers at Obosi are not the only reason bus drivers park their buses immediately they enter Onitsha any time beyond 07:00 pm.
At Ihiala, there is a notorious roadblock mounted by stern looking soldiers. This roadblock produces a very long hold-up as all passengers had to disembark from their vehicles and walk past the checkpoint on foot before entering their vehicle some distance after the checkpoint and the driver made to part with N1,000 before he would be allowed to pass, while private car owners are made to part with N500 each. No vehicle passes that roadblock without parting with money.
I don’t know if that is part of their job description.
These guys don’t care about security of lives and properties of the people, all they care about is the money they extort from motorists and avenue to intimidate and molest the people plying that route.
The authorities, the South East Governors, National Assembly members, Ohaneze Ndigbo and other Igbo leaders really need to look into this matter and stop this insane inhuman treatment of travellers and motorists and extortion of drivers at Ihiala.
