Edo moves against fake Vehicle Inspection Officers
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Edo State Government has warned some agents purporting to be Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) and extorting money from unsuspecting motorists to stop parading themselves as such or face the wrath of the law.
Addressing the press after the weekly State Executive Council meeting, on Tuesday, the State Commissioner for Information, Hon Louis Odion recalled that some men in Pink T-Shirts who had been harassing motorists were stopped by the state Government just a few weeks ago.
He said: “the exco met today and it was observed that whereas there was a clear directive two weeks ago that men wearing pink uniforms should desist from harassing motorists our roads, it was observed that in the last few days there has been a proliferation of men wearing white and black uniforms on our roads purporting to be Vehicle Inspection Officers or agents or volunteers working with VIOs.
“The exco strongly condemns this and considers it unacceptable. The Commissioner for Transport has been directed to communicate with the VIO unit of the Transport Ministry withdrawing such unit and formations from our roads and they are to desist from their activities of either purporting to inspect vehicles or the streets or highways.
“By this announcement, the special enforcement unit set up by the Government has also been mandated to, beginning from tomorrow, commence patrol on our roads and anyone found wearing uniforms purporting to be VIOs would be apprehended and made to face the full wrath of the law. This applies to other forms of extortions in the state either on behalf of any of the Ministries, Department or Agencies.
“Apart from the Special Enforcement Unit which is to begin a patrol of our roads to ensure strict compliance with this resolution, members of the public are also encouraged to apprehend anyone found extortion money purportedly on behalf of the Government or behalf of anybody or any Ministry.”
The Press Conference was attended by the Commissioners for Transport, Mr Orobosa Omo-Ojo, Commissioner for Environment and Public Utilities, Prince Clem Agba and the Chairman, Edo Inland Revenue Service, Chief Oseni Elamah.
