AMARTO Urges Sanwo-Olu to Scrap Committee on Removal of Articulated Trucks in Lagos
The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMARTO) has called on the Lagos State Governor, Mr Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to scrap the committee that was created to remove abandoned vehicles from Lagos roads, arguing that the activities of the Committee have become a daylight and night robbery of truckers.
In a release sent to DAILY TREND NEWS by the Chairman of the association, Chief Remi Ogungbemi, he alleged that members of the committee move around in company of Military personnel and thugs, armed with bottles, cutlasses guns and other dangerous weapons.
“It has becomes expedient for us to draw your attention to the unsavoury activities of the above mentioned Committee”
“They attack various empty container depots and garages in order to assault drivers, forcefully hijack and drive away their trucks and later booked the trucks as been towed and slam outrageous bills ranging between N150,000 to N250,000”
“All these deliberate act of impunity, lawlessness, abuse of power and barbaric manner of operation by members of Committee on the Removal of Abandon Truck is not only destroying the good intention of their establishing by the government but also portraying the government in a bad light”
“We have written several letters to the Governor without any response.Therefore, we are once again using this medium to let the Governor and the public know the travail we truckers have been passing through in the hands of Abandon Committee and which forms part of the reasons why most of our trucks are in a rickety and dilapidated conditions”
“The money we ought to have use to maintain these trucks are being forcefully and unlawfully collected from us by members of Abandon Committee without issuance receipt”
AMARTO argued further that, the creation of Committee on the Removal of Abandon Truck in Lagos State in the presence of a more civilized, organized and well trained traffic agency like Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) is a duplication of function and waste of Lagos state Government resources.
It argued that LASTMA is more qualified and competent to handle better what Committee on Abandon Truck was established to do.
“The modus operandi of Committee on the Removal of Abandon Truck is contrary to the philosophy of any government that seeks to promote respect for human rights, peace of the public and rule of law”
“To this end therefore, we urge Lagos State Government to listen to our cries and do the needful dissolution of Abandon Committee in order to save we truckers from their banditry in the interest of peace, our business, human rights and rule of law” AMARTO stated.
