A minor accident in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), involving a patrol pickup truck of the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, otherwise known as Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) and a 2019 private Toyota Corolla has sparked a dispute between the driver of the Toyota, Abdulazeez Saidu, and some VIO officers.
Saidu had reached out to Daily Trust Saturday, alleging that he was being harassed and threatened by the VIO officers, including the FCT Head of Operations, Debora Osho Alaba, after they allegedly crossed his lane abruptly, causing his 2019 Toyota Corolla to ram into them.
However, the FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services, through the Public Relations Officer, Kalu Emetu, said Saidu had violated a traffic light and was trying to escape when the VIO officers helped traffic wardens to stop him.
Earlier, Saidu had told this newspaper that the incident happened on October 30, 2023, along Ahmadu Bello Way in Abuja. He said he had expected the VIO officials to apologise and take responsibility for the accident, instead, they became aggressive and abusive towards him.
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He said he suggested they impound his car and take him to their office for proper explanations and justification of his treatment, but they had ignored him and zoomed off.
The complainant said he drove to the VIO office in Mabushi to file a complaint and provided them with footage of the incident but was shocked to discover that the person he was reporting to was the same Debora Osho Alaba who was involved in the accident.
“To my surprise, after filing a complaint against her, I was also referred to her office for my complaint to be attended to. I couldn’t wrap my head around it because how would I get justice from the person I was accusing? But again, I duly obliged and went straight to her office,” he said.
He alleged that Alaba had directed him to another officer, who was dismissive of his complaint, adding that as he made an attempt to leave the VIO office, he was told that his vehicle had been confiscated. He explained that his attempt to seek an explanation on the confiscation of his vehicle led to more threats as the head of operations had threatened to beat him.
“I said while you do that, I will record you. Upon hearing that, she asked her PA and the security to take me out. I left and handed them my car key. I called my lawyer for legal advice and he asked me to leave the building and report to the police since there was verbal assault and threat, while we deliberated on our next move,” he said.
Saidu, however, said with the intervention of the police, his vehicle was retrieved from the VIO office.
But the Public Relations Officer of the VIO, Kalu Emetu, painted a different picture, saying though Saidu’s vehicle had been released, he was on the wrong side of the law. He said the VIO had documentary evidence to show that the complainant had beat traffic but when asked to show the evidence, the PRO did not respond.
“The tips I gave you should tell you that the man was not telling the truth in everything he told you. He only wants to use the media, especially, the highly respected Daily Trust Saturday, to cover his actions which every forward-looking society will detest,” he said.
Daily Trust Saturday also reached out to the Director of Operations, Deborah Osho Alaba, who refuted the allegations levelled against her, describing them as malicious and unfounded. She accused the complainant of seeking public sympathy. “The complainant was not being sincere at all and he was an offender on the road. He is a serial offender, very manipulative. He came here to make trouble in our office, while he was an offender,” she said.
She said he violated a traffic light and was stopped by traffic wardens but did not, until the VIO went after him. “We were on a mission somewhere and so we handed him over to the traffic wardens but he ran away,” she said.
“Then on sighting his complaint, I sent for him, and asked that he come with the vehicle which he said was to be repaired. I asked him to bring it as it is.”
She said the complainant was then unruly and pushed a staff of the inspectorate, which was why the car was impounded.
She said while they were considering the process of prosecution, the complainant left but days later, some policemen pleaded that the vehicle be released as it belonged to the complainant’s in-law. “That’s the reason we released the vehicle, otherwise he’d face all the penalties for that kind of offense. The penalties for traffic rule violators are, the offender will have their vehicle impounded, and they must attend three-days lectures at DRTS institute in Lugbe and on the fourth day they’d see a psychiatrist,” she said.
