LAGOS FEBRUARY 1ST (URHOBOTODAY)-The Delta State Government on Sunday sacked members of taskforce on transportation in the state.
The dismissal of the taskforce is said to be connected with regular complaints by motorists over alleged extortion and collection of bribe by the body.
The Director General of Delta State Traffic Management Agency (DESMA), Mr Sam Idah, who confirmed the sack of the taskforce members to our correspondent in Asaba, expressed concern over their activities.
“The decision to sack the taskforce members was taken at the exco meeting last week and was conveyed to the members and officially made known today Sunday.
“The taskforce members turned into touts extorting road users and claiming to enforce traffic laws on behalf of the state government and DESTMA management. We are shocked at the overwhelming extortion,” he said.
He traced the creation of the taskforce in the Directorate to the previous administration of Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, noting that the activities of the taskforce members were totally out of place.
” I am against the taskforce using DESTMA laws to extort people and pay such money into private accounts. There is no regulations and this is my take on the whole things before we sacked them,” he said.
Recall that residents of Delta especially road users have been infuriated by the obnoxious activities of the taskforce members who allegedly extort between N3,000 and N4,000 from each of them everyday unjustifiably, a situation that prompted a petition to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa who immediately ordered a probe into the activities.
The panel which indicted the taskforce, apart from recommending sack of the entire members of the group, also called for the arrest of the members with immediate effect.
Speaking to our correspondent in Asaba, the state Commissioner for Transport, Mr Oviemuno Oghoore said that” you will agree with me that the happenings in Asaba perpetrated by the taskforce members was shameful.
“Overtime, these taskforce members were working like criminals and we confirmed this to the state governor Dr Ifeanyi Okowa who ordered a probe and the findings were very shameful and the state government sacked them.”
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