Recently, residents of Abuja have continued to decry the indiscriminate way some government agencies in the city operate. Molestation and brutality has been the order of the day. Anthony Ada Abraham reports on the various ways this ‘men’ do their job.
The rate of unemployment in Nigeria is on its increase and it seems it will not end soon if the indiscriminate ways those given the mandate carry out their duty.
Complains have continued to pour in against AEPB,Society Against child Labour and trafficking, WOTCLEF? on the jurisdiction of duty.
Like VIO, Federal Road Safety Corps, Police, who leave their job to do that of other agencies. Just Like the Standard Organisation of Nigeria and NAFDAC who sometimes are confuse on their duties. This ugly trend is? fast becoming a norm? with these new groups. They now see it as a way of wringing money, confisticating any thing that? belongs to street hookers.
Recently, along Wuse 2, a lady selling meat pie was been pursued like a common thief? by men of the agencies including a military man who was pointing his gun ‘AK 47’ at her who was not taking notice of cars moving in high speed, running while others are with ‘Koboko’ winged it sporadically as if they are pursuing a stubborn cow.
It took the effort of people driving along the road who shouted them down to let her go after which a young traffic warden schooled them on behaviour that day.?
One thing people noticed that day was the indiscriminate and oppressive ways this people carry out their duties.
When LEADERSHIP spoke with two workers who crave for anonymity, they said that is what they were asked to do when they resist arrest.
When asked why they chase traders instead of the prostitutes written on their buses, they could not respond.
Another incident that happened in Wuse Market with some photographers was quite annoying, when paul who was managing with his little business was asked to pay #2,000 or they won’t release his camera, when LEADERSHIP got to the scene, the music changed.
They found out that their job was at stake if they persisted, so they let him go.
According to popular actress and human right activist, Dorothy Njemanze? of a popular radio programme “Brekete” , said the? cases she is handling, are so numerous that she get calls of molestation almost every hour in FCT.
She said: “Sometime ago some ladies were unlawfully accused of prostitution by the officials of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and were asked to bail themselves out. It was in the bailing process that I came in. These girls were charged to court for prostitution. I have the full court proceedings. It was a sad situation. The people they target mostly are illiterates.
The racket is something that we don’t want to investigate. There was this particular case of a mobile network recharge card seller who was arrested by these people. They seized her cards worth over N50,000. After securing her bail, N20,000 worth of recharge cards were returned to her.
When she asked for her remaining cards, she was told that they had been auctioned and the proceeds given to an orphanage. These things were seized from an orphan who came into Abuja for succour. Since September last year she hasn’t been to her house. This has given her a reason to indulge in vices. So the best we can do is to continue speaking on what is going on.
If life is all about oppression, how can we all live as Nigerian? What can one? say to those in authority if they are found wanting if a little task given to you is been misused?
It is left for those bodies to checkmate the excesses of these people who are garnering and wielding usurping? unnecessary powers to themselves posing as threat to not only to the people but the society.
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