The Edo State government has announced an immediate ban on the activities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in the state.
The ban was enacted in response to a reported resurgence of illegal revenue collection, extortion, and harassment targeting motorists and traders.
In a statement released on Wednesday by the Secretary to the State Government, Umar Ikhilor, the government accused the unions, along with other groups like ANNEWAT and Drivers on Wheel, of violating the terms of their previous limited authorisation to work with the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS).
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These groups were found to have resorted to unauthorised cash collections and intimidation, betraying the trust placed in them.
“The era of using unions as fronts to harass, intimidate, or extort drivers and road users in the name of revenue collection is over,” Ikhilor said.
Ikhilor also noted that a private consultant previously hired to enforce compliance has been implicated in these illegal activities and is also included in the ban.
Ikhilor warned that no individual or group under the banned unions is permitted to collect any form of payment from road users.
Ikhilor advised all motorists and drivers to refuse any such illegal levies and to report any violations to the Edo State Special Task Force.
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To enforce this new directive, Ikhilor said the state government has notified the Commissioner of Police and other security agencies, instructing them to arrest and prosecute anyone found to be in violation.
Ikhilor added that Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration is committed to sanitising the revenue system and protecting citizens from unlawful exploitation.
