Scores of commuters including school children going to Ikoyi, Eti-Osa, Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, were on Tuesday morning stranded at Obalende Motor Park when commuter bus drivers plying Ikoyi axis, Lagos, withdrew their vehicles from the area.

They were protesting against alleged indiscriminate seizure of their vehicles by officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA and Task Force.

The drivers alleged that LASTMA officials and the Lagos State Task Force usually impound their buses on the excuse that the state government has banned commuter vehicles from plying Ikoyi and its environs.

The drivers have called on Governor Babatunde Fashola to come to their rescue and direct the security personnel to allow them do their job, since there has not been any official ban on commuter buses plying Ikoyi.

A commuter, Mr. Joseph Etuk, who claimed that he works at Gerhard Road in Ikoyi, also begged the governor to call the security personnel and LASTMA officials to order because their activities are affecting not only the transport workers but commuters who are working in the area.

He said since last week when the officials began to arrest commuter bus drivers plying the area, commuters have found it difficult to get to their places of work on time.

“What we are saying is that, apart from the green and white painted buses plying Ikoyi, there is no other alternative means of transportation to the area. If the government wants to ban commuter buses from plying Ikoyi, it should first announce it to the public and provide alternative means of transportation to the area.

“We are appealing to Governor Fashola to call the security men to order and stop the arrest of commuter bus drivers conveying us to our places of work on a daily basis. But we still believe that the governor is not aware of what is happening to bus drivers and commuters plying Ikoyi axis in Lagos”, he stated.

A bus driver, who identified himself as Jude, said: “For a long time, we have been warned by the transport union leader not to ply Gerrard, Alexander and Bourdillon roads in Ikoyi, and we have stopped plying those areas. We drop off passengers going to Ikoyi at Lugard Avenue and those going to JAMB Office on Glover Road by Milverton Street Roundabout and then turn back. Yet, each time the task force officials arrest us, they will deliberately drive us to Alexander Road, Ikoyi and claim they arrested us there so as to extort money from us.

“We decided to withdraw our vehicles from the area when the situation became unbearable. We are now begging Governor Fashola to direct the security personnel to allow us to do our job since we are not plying the prohibited areas such as Gerrard, Alexander and Bourdillon roads.”

When P.M.NEWS visited Obalende Motor Park Tuesday morning, stranded commuters were seen waiting to board the unavailable buses plying Ikoyi.

The drivers refused to work because they claimed that they could be arrested.

Efforts made to speak to the transport leaders in charge of the park proved futile as at the time of writing this report.
http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2013/06/18/commuter-bus-drivers-protest-in-ikoyi/

great

Did I just read indiscriminate seizures. Who's lieing here. Commuters or LASTMA officers.

Poor journalism. Leaves you with unanswered questions.

kai! nor be small suffering dey dis part of the world o

I wonder what Lagos State is becoming under an ACN government, the hardship you are bringing upon the citizen is becoming unbearable, ranging from tolling our roads, bridges now commercial bus drivers God help us

Wonder shall neva end

o! i thought i saw 'computer bus'

ETOBY72: great

seun needs to implement IP addres ban.. I'm currently using it on my site.. This dude is spamming this platform

Poor man dey sufer sufer

†ђξ state gorvernment Is doing A̶̲̥̅ great job with all its infrastructural developtment but it should please remember that 90% of people that voted it are just managing so it shouLd not make things harder than what it already Iƨ ♌ow and all this LASTMA people should stop all this act of wickedness! Haba? When shall ℓ̊ see what ℓ̊ want Τ̅☺ see? Tym Iƨ ticking away!!!

The protesters are calling on the 'collector - in chief' to call his men to order.

Funny

Hmmmmm...Fela has said it all. Suffering and smiling.

LASTMA is an insensitive organ created by an insensitive administration bent on enriching themselves at the poor peoples expense.
Monthly financial targets & returns are given to LASTMA, VIO, KAI, Council etc by Lagos state govt and they create all kinds of ridiculous & senseless laws & enforce them indiscriminately to meet their oga given targets. Those who are in the know about Lagos state governance will tell you it's a cesspool of corruption.
There are a lot of career civil servants that applied for early retiremrnt because they could not stand this rot.

All is well.

Sincere Bigot: o! i thought i saw 'computer bus'

Garri don finish you!!

Unfortunately it is true.. if you were worried about the Task Force (Governor's Office) or LASTMA, you should also consider the fact that the Nigerian Police Force are still recovering from the ban on "illegal duties", they now stand as backup for LASTMA to arrest/impound buses so that they get paid for releasing them. I love the initiatives and innovations ACN has brought about in Lagos but employing dead-beat agberos and quack alfas to enforce transportation laws will only get you the sort of crass results you see today. but then again, the wealthy have cars and care little for the poor among them soo... goes na

great

Did anyone ask why the buses were seized, you and know how silly this drivers are. We act as if we are talking about innocent people

these governors seem to forget where they are coming from. i bet thier father was not as rich as they are now. do they not know how it was those days when they use to enter molue buses . thhey should have human heart and consider how it was when they were on the street ..

naptu2: Poor journalism. Leaves you with unanswered questions.

make you provide answer nah?

naptu2: Poor journalism. Leaves you with unanswered questions.

Obiagelli: Did anyone ask why the buses were seized, you and know how silly this drivers are. We act as if we are talking about innocent people

Proper journalism = interviewing bus drivers, commuters and union officials and then getting a reaction from the ministry of transport (the commissioner) and the chief executive or spokesperson of Lastma.

Is it true that the buses have been banned from plying Ikoyi routes? If yes, why and what alternatives have been put in place? If no, what are you going to do to policemen and Lastma officials who are carrying out illegal practices? How will you stop the practice?

That's proper journalism.

I hear

mnkan72: great

mods do something

So the King of Bourdillon does not want yellow bus on his road.

Hmmm

Its a pity come 2015 those f00L5 will still find mean to rig the election again. I detest ACN rulership with passion.

Nawa for Fasola ooo,attimes,I wonder if he's still the same fasola we voted for in the last election.

Seriously,the guy has shown his despotic side of him.

A.C.N really sucks,rubbish party filled with psychopath.

ACN e-warriors am waiting.

even a 9year old know that Nigerian politician will hug and dine with you in their first term in office even ride OKADA with you buy you helmet fashola did it adams oshomole did it. but in their mind they just want to enter that sit for the second term.they will be so busy trying to be good and helpful to everybody but when they finally win, them and their demons(latsma,police,kai and task force faces turn to dis.

I am a bus driver and life has been unbearable for me since my bus was siezed and asked to provide the sum of 50000

I stay in ikoyi and I knw wot d low income earners without private cars go through daily... I have been in ikoyi Gerard Road since d time of Abacha, Ikoyi was very serene and Commercial buses ply d area only dat dey don't go dere afta 7pm... Buh naw d whole has been jam packed with all sort of money ♍Îşş road politicians destroying one of the most beautiful city in Nigeria/ West Africa..
I know y all this is happening to d commoners of Ikoyi, dey refuse to vote for ACN and allowed a small boy to defeat their so called Jagaban in his own territory...

Posterity will always Judge Us!!!