How police in Abuja make living out of traffic ‘offences’

By Romanus Ugwu

From the IBB Way, Ahmadu Bello Way, Herbert Macaulay Way, Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Aminu Kano Crescent to Bolingo junction and other traffic junctions on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja roads, it has become a regular practice for traffic police personnel hiding in an unsuspecting corner to jump into the front seat of vehicles in motion in a bid to stop them, for violating traffic laws.

Tagged ‘beating of traffic’, their modus operandi seems to be the same everywhere. They either hide in the flower garden and among shade trees by the sidewalk or display, conspicuously, motorbikes they usually unleash on fleeing offenders.

If they ever succeed in stopping the offending driver’s vehicle, the traffic police numbering two to five would invade it. While one informs the driver of the offence, the others would smartly open the front door and jump into the vehicle, signifying that the offender has been arrested.

However, only certain categories of persons and vehicles are victims. Convoy cars, flashy exotic cars driven by women, diplomatic cars, rickety vehicles, painted taxis and government vehicles are almost always immune from arrest.

Once arrested the incidence hardly lasts for more than 45 minutes provided the driver is ready to play ball or else he would be dragged to the nearest police station with the attendant spectre of spending more money staring him in the face.

All through the period of bargaining, other defaulting drivers may not be arrested until the deal is concluded. Many that have fallen victims of the tricks, perfectly crafted by the traffic policemen, regrettably secure their freedom by parting with sums of money ranging from N1, 000 to N52, 000.

As masters in the act, the enforcement authorities have continued to proactively perfect what many motorists tagged extortion strategies to beat the offenders to the game, just as drivers have continued to devise ways to outsmart them.

Investigations revealed that the enforcing authorities recently evolved a killer strategy of intimidating offenders with a threat to either comply with their monetary demands or be ready to pay N52, 000 if the CCTV at police station confirms that they actually beat the traffic.

Confronted with that masterstroke strategy, some of the offenders would chicken out and negotiate to secure their freedom by paying certain amount of money depending on their smartness.

On the contrary, sometimes the hunter becomes the hunted, when some confident and mischievous offenders would deceptively drive the enforcing officers towards Aso Rock or EFCC office, pretending to be among highly placed with connection to places that matter or the Presidency, and thereby forcing some of the policemen to start begging for their freedom.

Many motorists who shared their experiences with Daily Sun, agreed that although many Abuja drivers are lawless, the enforcing authorities should devise more convincing ways of proving to the defaulters that they are indeed guilty as charged. They equally harped on training and retraining of traffic regulators especially on the difference between the red light indicator and the amber light.

Victims’ reactions

Mike Oboh, a journalist with Reuters, who described their modus operandi as fraudulent, related his bitter experience with the traffic regulators, adding that it was even more painful because he was arrested while struggling to drive himself to hospital.

“It was at the Finance Ministry traffic junction near the Court of Appeal,” he recalled. “Since the green light was at three, I knew that I felt I could quickly cross without violating any traffic rule. All of a sudden, I saw two traffic police personnel jump on the road without minding that I was speeding towards them. I complied with their order to stop because I knew I didn’t do anything wrong.

“But before I could say a word, one of them opened the door and jumped into my car. They told me I violated traffic rule. When all efforts to convince them failed, they dragged me to the Eagles Square and told me to play ball by giving them something or be prepared to have my car impounded and kept there from that Friday till Monday when I will pay a fine of N51, 000.

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“Since I was not strong enough to continue to debate with them, I decided to give them N1000 to secure my freedom. They told me to add more money but I protested that what I gave them was part of my money for hospital expenses. They collected the money and allowed me to go.”

Another Abuja resident who identified himself as Gafaru had the same experience at the end of which he was intimidated into parting with N2000 to secure his freedom.

Hear him: “It happened along IBB Way. I was very certain that the green light was about coming on when I moved. But before I knew it, some policemen jumped in front of my car and ordered me to stop. They surrounded me. One of them, in an attempt to intimidate me, kick-started his motorbike, while the rest two jumped into the front and back seats of my car.

“Still wondering what I did wrong, one of them announced to me that I violated traffic rule and said that I may choose to confirm it at the CCTV office in their station and pay the compulsory N52, 000 fine or bribe them with a token. When I opted to follow them to the station, they became divided. One of them pleaded with me to drop something instead of going to the station to waste my time, warning me that the charges against me might change once my car is inside the station. After considering the situation, I decided to give them N1000 but they rejected it, warning me that I should not take them for a ride. After several arguments, I decided to make it N2000 and before you know it, they disappeared to go and arrest another victim.”

It was not business as usual for the traffic regulators when they arrested a smart public servant who identified himself as Ikedi. He explained that after several encounters with them, he perfected a plan of pretentiously driving any of them in sitting front of his vehicle either towards Aso Rock or the EFCC office, adding that the trick ridiculously works out very well.

“After parting with thousands of naira to them on several occasions, I devised a plan which did not only work out perfectly but also confirmed that they are extortionists,” he said. “I was driving towards Federal Secretariat when as usual they jumped in front of my car and told me I violated a traffic rule. One of them opened the door, entered and sat on my front seat. I quickly drove off.

“I wound up the glasses, put on the air-conditioner and began to drive towards Transcorp Hilton. Unfortunately for him, there was no traffic along the road. He became uncomfortable and asked me where I was going. I said EFCC office and he pleaded that I should have told him that I was an officer. I became adamant with his plea and continued to drive until I noticed that his confidence has completely failed him. He started begging. I slowed down but before I could stop close to the DSTv office, he quickly opened my door and jumped out. The way he got out of the car confirmed to me that he was happy regaining his freedom.”

Ikedi narrated another experience in which he was accosted for allegedly committing a traffic offence and he drove as if he was going towards the Aso Rock with one of the policemen seated in front of his car. “I was so mean that when a call came through into his phone, probably from his team, I ordered him not to pick it if he does not want to enter into more trouble.

“Thinking that I worked in Aso Rock, he started pleading with me do drop him. But I did not do so until I was getting close to the first checkpoint into Aso villa. A oncoming car almost knocked him down while he was fleeing from the scene. Those policemen are fraudulently heartless. I know that if they are sincere, they should also be doing the same thing to those rich men with expensive flashy cars. We have seen cases where convoy drivers would flout traffic rule and cause serious accident. They never cared to arrest taxi drivers or owners of rickety cars.”

Police authorities express concerns

Reacting to the allegation, the Acting FCT Police Public Relationship (PPRO), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Usen Oamos, admitted that the police authorities are very much aware of the unscrupulous activities of some of the police traffic men and are doing something about it.

His words: “We are aware of what is going on because we get complaints from the public from time to time. We always urge people to tell us the exact locations. We also appeal to motorists to get the names and numbers of these police personnel and send them to the Public Complaints Commission or directly to me.

“We educate them every morning and will continue to look into their actions. There are even superior police officers supervising them on hourly basis that we have either queried or disciplined. We also advise motorists to lodge complaints at the nearest police station or in most cases follow them to the station when they threaten to take them there.

“Don’t succumb when they threaten you with payment of N52, 000 if you get to the stations because we have learned superior officers that would not push you to that extent. If anyone is charged for offence, the person will pay but there is no traffic offence that is more than N1000 or N1500 fine. We encourage people to follow them to the station.

“We implore the media to keep educating motorists. There is no iota of truth in the allegation that it is a revenue-generating source for the police because we are not a revenue-generating agency. My appeal is that people should not allow them to intimidate them,” he quipped.

A senior police officer in the AIG cadre, who spoke in confidence, said that, “I won’t encourage anybody to give the traffic police regulators any bribe. I also want to say that some drivers are beasts on steering. When I was a Police Commissioner, I had stopped for traffic light but a man behind me kept horning until I signalled him to go if he wished. While passing by me, he made a sign that signified that he considered me a mad man, heaped abuses on me and sped off. But few moments later, he collided with a car that has the right of the way. I made sure he was taken to the police station and prosecuted even though he apologised for embarrassing me.”