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Imo: Truck drivers block roads over alleged harassment, extortion by govt taskforce
There was traffic gridlock in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Thursday following blockade of the Owerri/Port Harcourt road and Owerri/Onitsha road by truck drivers protesting what they described as incessant harassment and extortion by operatives of the taskforce on illegal parks in the state.
Operating under the auspices of Trailer Drivers Association, the group lamented that some of their members’ vehicles were impounded by the task force headed by the Special Adviser to the governor on Illegal Parks, Frank Onwumere, and his boys since four months for no justifiable reason.
Speaking to journalists during the protest, one of the leaders of the Trailer Drivers Association, who identified himself as Monday Ossai, who operates from Oneh Seaport, Rivers State, explained that they blocked the two roads within Owerri Municipal to draw the attention of government to the harassment and extortion of their members.
The accused Onwumere of tarnishing the image of the governor who they said meant well for the people of the state.
“Truck drivers are very depressed as Hon. Frank Onwumere and his boys do not allow us to operate freely on the road in Imo State, day and night. Regrettably, the mistreatment that badly affected us was the seizure, impounding of our members’ vehicles by Onwumere and his team for four months, including the demand of N250,000 with clearance paper of road worthiness of our vehicles.
“Onwumere heartlessly told us that we must pay N250,000 before our vehicles are released – that truck drivers in Rivers and Lagos States pay N250,000 and N350,000 respectively” he said.
Ossai said that in order to restore sanity, law and orderliness on the road, they are calling on the governor to immediately sack Onwumere and bring in someone with human face to do the work to avoid tarnishing his image.
The drivers also demanded quick intervention on the badly damaged Port Harcourt Expressway and other deplorable roads in the state to ease traffic.
Also speaking, a truck driver who gave his name as Aliyu Haruna said that they don’t encounter problems in other states, and it is only when they enter Imo roads that problem always starts.
“They said that we should not ply the roads during daytime which we agreed but the problem is at that time we are supposed to make use of the roads there is always a blockade by the military at Obinze once it is 9:00 pm,”
he complained.
Addressing the aggrieved trailer drivers during an on-the-spot assessment, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Barr. Nnamdi Anyaehie, authorized the immediate release of all impounded vehicles, which were subsequently returned to their owners.
The Chief of Staff said government would never authorize any appointee to victimize any citizen, saying some of the spoilt trailers parts would be fixed.
He also assured that the alleged harassment and extortion by Onwumere would be investigated.
Reacting to the allegations levelled against him, Onwumere said his actions and that of his team are fully in line with the directives given to him by Governor Hope Uzodimma.
“My responsibility as the Special Adviser on Illegal Parks is to ensure that our roads are free from illegal obstructions by addressing issues that affect the smooth flow of traffic and safety of road users,” he said.
Onwumere further said that what his team is doing is not peculiar to Imo State.
“For example, would trailer or tanker drivers dare to act with such disregard for traffic regulations in Abuja or Lagos? Certainly not. Yet in Imo State, some people believe they can park their vehicles carelessly and go about their businesses without considering the rules of traffic.”
He accused the truck drivers of being in the habit of flouting traffic orders, stressing that there is a new law in the state prohibiting them from plying Imo roads at day time till 9:00 pm. He regretted that the truck drivers are finding it difficult to obey the law.
The SA observed that those attacking him are those opposed to the achievements recorded by his team, adding that they are trying to discourage him from doing his job as directed by the governor.
“In the course of our work we have consistently encountered menace of armed robbers who specialized in luring innocent citizens into their vehicles and rob them of their valuables. It is through the diligent work of my office that we have been able to save countless Imo citizens,” Onwumere added.
BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Israeli military carried out at least five airstrikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday, after Israel’s defence minister ruled out any ceasefire in Lebanon until Israel’s goals had been met.
Smoke billows over Beirut’s southern suburbs, after an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon November 12, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
© Thomson Reuters
Smoke rose over Beirut as blasts shook the capital around mid-morning. The explosions followed an Israeli military warning posted on social media identifying 12 sites in the southern suburbs and saying it would take action against them soon. It warned residents they were located near Hezbollah facilities.
Smoke billows over Beirut’s southern suburbs, after an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon November 12, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
© Thomson Reuters
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the latest strikes. Residents have largely fled the southern suburbs since Israel began bombing the area in September.
In Israel, air raid sirens sounded in parts of the north, sending residents running for shelter, and the military said a number of “suspicious aerial targets” were launched from Lebanon. There were no reports of injuries.
Ignited by the Gaza war, the conflict at the Lebanese-Israeli border had been rumbling on for a year before Israel went on the offensive in September, pounding wide areas of Lebanon with airstrikes and sending troops into the south.
Israel has dealt heavy blows to Hezbollah over the last seven weeks, killing many of its top leaders including Hassan Nasrallah, flattening parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs, and causing vast destruction in border villages in south Lebanon.
People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike on the northern Lebanese town of Ain Yaaqoub, Lebanon November 12, 2024. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim
© Thomson Reuters
Meeting with Israel’s general staff for the first time, Israel’s newly appointed Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday there would be no ceasefire in Lebanon until Israel achieves its goals.
“Israel will not agree to any arrangement that does not guarantee Israel’s right to enforce and prevent terrorism on its own, and meet the goals of the war in Lebanon – disarming Hezbollah and its withdrawal beyond the Litani River and returning the residents of the north safely to their homes.”
Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar had said earlier on Monday there had been “a certain progress” in ceasefire talks, whilst adding the war against Hezbollah was not yet over.
Smoke billows over Beirut’s southern suburbs, after an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon November 12, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
© Thomson Reuters
The main challenge facing any ceasefire deal would be enforcement, he said.
Hezbollah has said it is ready for a long war against Israel and has kept up rocket fire.
SOUTH OF THE LITANI
The Lebanese government, which includes Hezbollah, has repeatedly called for a ceasefire based on the full implementation of a U.N. Resolution that ended a war between the group and Israel in 2006.
Lebanese Red Cross members look for remains of bodies at the site of an Israeli airstrike on the northern Lebanese town of Ain Yaaqoub, Lebanon November 12, 2024. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim
© Thomson Reuters
The resolution calls for the area south of the Litani to be free of all weapons other than those of the Lebanese state. Lebanon and Israel have accused each other of violating the resolution.
Israel’s offensive has driven more than 1 million people from their homes in Lebanon in the last seven weeks. Since hostilities erupted a year ago, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 3,243 people and injured 14,134, the Lebanese health ministry said. Its figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Hezbollah attacks have killed roughly 100 civilians and soldiers in northern Israel, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and southern Lebanon over the last year.
Nigerian skit creator and actress, Kemi Ikuseedun, widely recognized as Mummy Wa, has shared her ordeal with sexual harassment within the film industry. She disclosed her experiences during a recent appearance on the ‘WithChude podcast’ hosted by Chude Jideonwo.
Mummy Wa rose to prominence in 2023 after featuring in skits alongside Mr. Macaroni.
In her account, the actress revealed that she faced unwelcome sexual propositions from filmmakers while trying to build her career.
“Behind the scenes, a lot of people are asking for things. They are requesting for a whole lot of things that I cannot do.
“Where do I want to start from? Me that I’m already coming from a place where they tell me ‘this thing will not work’. How many people do I want to sleep with?
“To be honest, you might actually sleep with somebody in the industry and you will still not blow with the role they will give you. I saw a lot of men. But guess what? Even the slim ones that don’t have anything, they are still asking for things from them.
“No woman is free. No woman is immune. But I can’t do it.”
Photo source: Instagram
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