On Saturday 6th March 2010, while passing through Omu Ijebu enroute Ijebu Ode, I was waved down by a group of men. Four of them carried planks with sharp pointed nails intended for puncturing tyres of uncooperative drivers. I was forced to come to a sudden halt.I counted four men who claimed to be from the Odogbolu Local council as task force.

Setting the facts straight, I was traveling with my wife, a middle age house help and my twins aged less two months. I was riding a mini jeep private and personal car. It was an isolated bushy location which can be described as middle of no where.

Immediately I stopped, the men placed the nail planks on the road, making it impossible to drive on less they permit. I requested to know why I was stopped, but they ordered me to pull to the road side. I complied for safety reasons. As soon as I packed, the nail planks were placed at the front tyres while heavy stones were rolled behind the back tyres, foreclosing any likelihood of an escape. I did not know I just became a hostage for two and half hours in a drama of deceit, and fraud.

I was asked to present mobile radio certificate and environmental certificate. I replied that being a private and personal car, the certificates and the levies do not apply to me. I told them I would be willing to make the payment if indeed it is legal and that I should be allowed to go and investigate. They refused to release me.

A rate was shown to me as what I would be made to pay at the spot before I could continue my trip. I begged them to let me abort the trip and go back after all, I was passing through their local council and not all council’s demands for the levy. I was equally turned down.

By this time, we had been held by these men for one hour forty minutes, the Air condition in my car having been up on same spot for long has started blowing hot air. My kids were already crying from the heat of the hot weather.

The men insisted that my car would be towed to the council office and that I will pay for towing though I agreed to drive to their office. I was told to pay Twenty One thousand Naira on the spot or risk minimum of Sixty thousand Naira should my vehicle be towed. 

When all became unbearable, I paid Twenty One Thousand Naira to them and collected the permits. Funny, they could not write Twenty One Thousand Naira correctly.

At the next police check point about 150 metres away, I stopped to report the matter to the Police men. The Mobile Policemen were unwilling to intervene and we drove off. Determined to get to the root of the matter, my wife took one of the certificates and dialed a number on it  A man who identified himself as Mr. Oguntola and the national secretary office at Ibadan listened to my wife. He asked if the car was commercial, pick up van, and branded. We replied in the negative. He confirmed the levies do not apply to us. We told him we were made to pay Twenty One Thousand Naira. He advised us to go back so he could talk to them reiterating that the men have been warned severally on such illegal collections.

We returned to the spot in five minutes and took two mobile policemen from the checkpoint with us. I dialed Mr. Oguntola’s number and placed the phone on speaker. He told the men they had no mandate to collect levies from us and it should be returned but the men refused. I insisted we go the nearest police station ( do not exactly have confidence justice would be done there) but the men said they will go to their office instead). We called another number on the certificate identified as Otunba also referred to as President. Otunba’s advise to the men to return the money was rejected. Otunba gave us an Alhaji’s number who happened to be the men’s boss at the council. A call was placed to Alhaji who instructed the men to return just Twenty Thousand Naira instead as mobile radio. The men then complied.

By this time , I had spent two and half hours on this issue and have been through emotional, and psychological torture. Were it that Nigeria is a country where human rights are easily enforced through the court, I would have press charges against Odogbolu local council.

I was later to know that the mobile radio permit cost Five Hundred Naira and the men collected Ten Thousand Five Hundred Naira.

My appreciation to Mr. Oguntola and Otunba for their honesty and forthrightness when called upon. Many in Nigeria will support their men in such situation.

I appeal to the government to look at the issue of local government touting with the mindset to save law abiding citizens from this type of extortion, and oppression.


My Oguntola’s number 08055200079
Otunba’s number 08023231087