Samuel Marshall, with additional reports by
Beauty David Nteugot
Members of the Rivers State Ministry of Transport (MoT) have come under severe criticism for their alleged habit of wrongfully extorting money from car owners daily.
Emma Rukari, Esq., a legal practitioner, noted this alleged notoriety in a detailed petition he wrote on behalf of Mr. Dennis Okwosha and submitted to the State Governor, the State Commissioner of Police, and the Director of State Security Services.
Mr. Dennis Okwosha’s petition underscores how members of the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies are employed as escorts by illegal task forces. These task forces use their authority to harass and intimidate innocent citizens in the state, compelling them to pay money into the accounts of fraudsters under the guise of addressing parking violations.
The lawyer further decried what he referred to as “the manifest extortion, stealing, and criminal breach of trust resulting from the activities of the MoT Task Force” as displayed by them on 3rd July 2024, within the premises of the Rivers State Transport Company, along Olu Obasanjo Road, Port Harcourt.
The lawyer has sent a letter to the Commissioner for Transport, demanding a refund of N33,000 that his client was forced to pay due to threats from armed security personnel who he claims have taken on the role of a court. He questioned the legality of these payments and emphasized how these illegal extortions can tarnish the reputation of the State.
The lawyer has also urged the governor to intervene urgently and bring the culprits to book, adding that, “these individuals could be working to undermine the governor’s efforts.”
Several drivers in Port Harcourt, who spoke to the Newswriter newspaper, commended the lawyer and his client for their courage in confronting the long-standing harassment and extortion experienced by drivers at the hands of task forces, security agencies, and hoodlums.***
