The Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, has strongly condemned the ongoing harassment and illegal impoundment of vehicles by Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) in Rivers State, describing the actions as a flagrant disobedience to a subsisting court judgment.
In a Statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategic Communication, Mr. Bright Elendu Jossy, on Thursday, 14 May 2026, Dr. Lloyd, while confronting VIO operatives along Tombia Street in the GRA area of Port Harcourt on Wednesday, expressed deep concern over the continued oppression of road users.
He particularly decried the impoundment of a pregnant woman’s vehicle, calling it unacceptable.
“The rights and dignity of Rivers people must be respected at all times,” Lloyd said. “No government agency or official should operate above the law.”
The Emohua council boss explained that his intervention was prompted by an existing court order restraining VIO officials from stopping motorists, impounding vehicles, confiscating documents, or imposing fines on road users.
He urged the Rivers State Ministry of Transport to immediately rein in the officers and ensure full compliance with the judgment to halt further harassment of innocent citizens.
According to the statement, Dr. Lloyd cited the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had, in December 2025, affirmed a Federal High Court ruling that barred the Directorate of Road Traffic Services and VIO officials from such activities.
Dr. Lloyd called on relevant authorities to act swiftly to restore sanity on the state’s roads.
