Alligations of official high handedness and extortion coming out of Anambra, South East Nigeria, took another dimension after two credible civil rights group told the public of what appears to be a ruthless shakedown of motorists by Anambra State Road Traffic Management Agency, ARTMA.
There has been flurry of allegations against the state’s current administration bordering on over taxation and ruthless enforcement of policies, lately.
Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE) and Campaign for Democracy (CD), both of the South East Zone, asked the state Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, to immediately disband the agency management as it is currently constituted, stating that the place is cesspit of corruption.
They allege that ARTMA remapped some major streets and roads in the State and made them one-way without adequate publicity to sensitise motorists and other road users.
“They cash in on the ignorance of the motorists that some places have been turned into one way to impound people’s vehicles and exhort huge sums of money ranging from N30, 000 to N100, 000, depending on the vehicle, especially Niger-under-Bridge,” said the groups.
The groups added further: “if you introduce a new law and you publicise it so that the public will know about it, don’t use it as a bait to impound vehicles and impose outrageous fines”.
The right organisations also observed that ARTMA officials lure drivers to where to park where they would impound the vehicle and extort and collect huge sums of money from their victims.
The group also frowned at the carrying of POS machines around by ARTMA operatives which they give their victims to transfer money from their bank accounts.
CD and HURIDE also added that most of the traffic offenders were commercial vehicles.
“They looked the other way for private cars where they cannot extort huge money.
They also accused ARTMA Commander, Nnamdi Emmanuel, aka, Ochudo, as the chief enabler of the highway heist.
“He should be sacked, and ARTMA disbanded for reorganisation, ” the activist group said.