Drivers set to deal with commercial taxi bandits in Port Harcourt

Brave Dickson

Commercial bus and taxi drivers under the aegis of Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter have called for synergy with the state police command in dislodging commercial taxi bandits popularly called “one chance”.

The commercial drivers through their state chairman, Mr Isaac Leekia said security agencies cannot achieve success without collaboration with commercial drivers.

Mr Leekia said, “We are ready to work with the new Commissioner of Police in the State, Usman Belel to chase away this set of criminals.

“We will be useful in helping security agents deal with these “one chance” hoodlums because we know how they operate.

“We can cooperate with the police by giving reliable intelligence if only the police will not make us scapegoats or vulnerable to these criminals.”

The Chairman also called on the state police boss to warn his officers and men who are extorting money from commercial drivers at checkpoints to desist as such act is capable of demoralising their courage to synergize with the police.

One chance commercial taxi robbers are one of the numerous problems confronting the state.

They resurge from time to time to terrorize the state and later douse down as a result of public outcry and interventions by security agents.

They rob their victims mostly at night and especially women who innocently enter into their vehicle as passengers only to be robbed and forcefully pushed out of the moving vehicle.

For this reason, the State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omoni once advised members of the public to avoid boarding vehicles at night and to look at faces before entering commercial taxis.

While commercial drivers and mechanics have been accused of robbing innocent passengers with their vehicles, drivers union has come out to dissociate drivers from such act, insisting that no genuinely registered driver robs with his vehicle.

Mr Leekia said, “We know all our drivers. The registered ones cannot be involved in robbing passengers with their vehicles. It is easier to fish out any registered driver who does that and we have not recorded any. That is why we are ready to help fish them out because they are spoiling our name and putting us out of business.”