Gov Oborevwori, Please Stop The Thuggery, Extortion By DESTMA
By: Zik Gbemre
Saturday, March 1st, 2025 encounter in Warri with the Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESTMA) as narrated by a victim, Kingsley Oghwe, vindicates me on ajudging the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration as one that delights in thuggery and extortion against a hapless populace.
On the fateful day, Oghwe was trapped by a gang of the thuggish DESTMA at the traffic light point along Airport Road, Warri, for allegedly not wearing seat belt. He was given two options. Pay N75,000 fine or face court trial the following Monday.
He ended paying a bargained cash of N30,000 before his impounded car was released, the DESTMA gang leader ranting that they operate in such ruthless appeal to be able to meet up the governor’s expected revenue target on their activities, failing which they will lose their engagement to other waiting state thugs.
Before sharing Oghwe’s ordeal, let us emphasize that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan who initiated DESTMA never intended it as an extortionist tool or revenue generator. Even in imposing fines, the overriding interest was not to bring returns to the Delta State government but to punish defaulters to discourage indiscriminate driving and parking habits that aggravate traffic difficulties in major Delta cities.
Assuming without conceding to Oborevwori’s interest to extort money from road users, how much does Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) fines defaulters for none use of seat belt that a DESTMA duplicating functions of the FRSC would now be imposing N75,000 fine and collecting N30,000 negotiated extortion?
Narrating his ordeal, the victim stated, “I am Engr.Kingsley Oghwe, owner of a blue colour Toyota corolla with registration number LSD 440 FN. At about 11:50am, Saturday being 1st of March 2025, I was accosted by the Delta state road task force(men on blue uniform) for not wearing my car seatbelt at the traffic-light point at Airport road, opposite waterboard, just by TJ’s Eatery.
“The task force then told me to follow them to their office so that they could give me a warning. But when I got to their office opposite Delta boat yard by NEPA office, near NPA Warri where other vehicles were impounded on that day, they locked my car tyres and asked me to go and see their boss.When I met their boss, he told me that I would be facing a mobile court”s trial or pay a fine of seventy-five thousand Naira(N75,000) for the seatbelt offence.
“I pleaded with him to have mercy, that it was just a mistake, but it fell on deaf ears. They (the boss & his team) drove off leaving me at the yard. After delaying me till 3:41pm, the said boss came back again and insisted I pay N30,000, else my tyres will be deflated.
“I quickly asked him if I can transfer the money to him in his office, he refused, and asked me to go to the roadside to do a POS withdrawer and make cash payment to him in his office. I then rushed to pay the money in cash in his office and a lady received it from me in his office without issuing me a receipt of payment.
“After the payment, they refused to give me receipt, that I can only get it on the ground that I leave my car in their custody with deflated tyres till Monday after I must have gone to Zenith bank. I was scared of what might happen to my car in their premises, so I refused.
“Later, I requested from the task force boss his phone number that someone wants to speak with him, he refused. Finally, before leaving their premises, the lady that received the money asked one of the guys to come and snap my driving license.”
At that particular Junction on Airport Road by Water Board in Warri the men of DESTMA have turned that spot to extortion ground where they harass and intimidate motorists and caused traffic jam which they were set up to clear all in extorting motorists.
They brag about and act unlawful by saying go and tell Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and that they don’t care. They even boasted that they are given target by Governor Oborevwori to meet. This is unlawful. Did they established DESTMA to correct motorists or to get revenue?
Is that why Oborevwori gave them target of money to be collected on daily basis? Is Oborevwori not running a government of thuggery by extorting money from motorists all in the name of collecting revenue? The purpose of DESTMA is not to extort and rob motorists because he wants revenue at all cost.
Deltans and residents are complaining of DESTMA. The offence of not wearing seat belt by FRSC is two thousand naira only. DESTMA, away from the establishment intention, has become a nuisance, cause all kinds of illegality and obstruction of free movement of vehicles they are supposed to enforce.
Mr. Governor, you need to dismantle this illegal job in this particular Airport Road extortion point by the Water Board. They are not there for any common good, other than obtaining money illegally from motorists. Why should we allow this rascality by DESTMA workers on light blue uniform? They perch there every day.
We don’t need DESTMA to cause nuisance on the Airport Road by Water Board Junction in Warri. This nonsense must stop. Oborevwori, please don’t allow DESTMA to torment motorists on our roads in Warri in particular.
Zik Gbemre
March 4,2025
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