Emmanuel OchayiIn a stern rebuke, Lukman Shittu, Chairman of the Lagos State Truck and Cargo Operators Committee, declared on Wednesday that the menacing actions of hoodlums are discouraging foreign transport investors from engaging in the transportation business.
Expressing his condemnation, Shittu highlighted the unjustified extortion and assault suffered by truck drivers in Lagos State at the hands of these hoodlums.
“Some toll-collecting hoodlums at Berger Bus-stop outwards Mile 2-Oshodi Expressway on Saturday morning flagged down a loaded containerised truck to extort the driver,” Shittu said.
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He went on to describe a harrowing incident where a hoodlum jumped into the driver’s side, causing the truck to swerve, and crash into parked vehicles, and the driver was stabbed.
Shittu warned that such incidents, coupled with previous attacks, were causing financial losses to importers and truck owners.
He added that the hoodlums not only damage trucks but also burglarize containers in transit, collect money, and assault drivers, creating road accidents and traffic gridlock. He argued that these actions are detrimental to the transport business environment in Lagos State and pose a threat to the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
In a plea to the government and stakeholders, Shittu urged immediate action against these hoodlums, stating, “They have been militating against the progress and stability of trucking business in Lagos State.”
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