Wednesday August 4 passed like a dream to me. I have heard about the inadequacies of the Dapo Abiodun led Ogun state government but today hit me in the face and I still can’t believe it all
I was accosted at the Sapon area by people in mufti who looked more like robbers than government workers who claimed to be working for the Abeokuta South Local Government and I wondered what was happening because :
1. They had no uniforms
2. No name tags
3. No identification or ID cards
4. No face masks
They claimed I drove on one-way and the first thing I did was asked for the sign. They showed me some sign and I accepted and asked to go to their office as I was not interested in paying an undocumented bribe. I turned and saw that one of them (now wearing a lemon vest) had removed my number plate and I told him I was not going to go anywhere without it.
Another asked to get into my car and I told him he cannot if he isn’t wearing a facemask (National policy from the President himself) eventually, one of them went to buy one, my number plate was fixed and they led me to their “Office” close to CBN and asked me to park somewhere. I got down expecting to be led into an office to see how much the fine is only for me to be led to a restaurant. A lady said they will book a ticket for me and collect a fine.
TAKE ME TO YOUR OFFICE
I did not allow her finish and asked that I want to be taken to their office as it was not right. She said she is at the restaurant because she was monitoring the other cars and motorcycles arrested and I asked her to point the office to me so I can go pay my fine and she refused. I told her if she didn’t, I will simply go home. At this point, she asked that my car be chained. I ignored.
I kept insisting on going to their office and at this point the ignored until a man from another department came and told them to give me a booking so I can go pay to the local government headquarters in Ake. I was given the payment advice and I took a commercial motorcycle to Ake.
NO OFFICE
On getting to the headquarters, the revenue office told me they have an office where I was coming from that I was supposed to pay to and asked me to go back, they directed me to a certain MR Wasiu. I called him and he said he was in the complex where my car was impounded and he has an office there. I took another motorcycle back, I got back hoping to meet this MR Wasiu in his official office but I was shocked when he was sitting under a shed as he said he had no office and that place was just a make-shift place.
I now irritated, gave him the ticket and he asked me to pay 10,000. I gave him and he took the money in cash (against federal government directive on TSA)
The questions I have include:
1. Is it right for local government officials to collect stop motorists while not in uniform?
2. Is it legal to not wear a name tag or any form of identification?
3. Is it right for officials to be on the road without facemasks and outing citizens at risk?
4. Is it right to remove people’s number plate?
5. How can so-called officials work from a restaurant?
6. Why collect money in cash in violation of TSA?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Post a Comment