Commercial drivers operating in Rivers State staged a peaceful protest at the Government House in Port Harcourt against what they described as persistent harassment and unlawful taxation by various task force groups.

The protesters, under the umbrella of the Commercial Drivers Welfare Association, accused local council authorities and illegal revenue agents of imposing multiple levies on them, despite the existence of a unified ticketing system approved by the state government.
 
The State Chairman of the association, Christopher Ezeali, while addressing journalists during the demonstration, called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to urgently intervene and restore order in the transport sector.

Ezeali urged the governor to take a cue from his Abia State counterpart, Alex Oti, whom he commended for tackling touting and illegal revenue collection in his state.

“We are suffering daily harassment on the roads. There are too many groups collecting money from us illegally. The government has already approved a unified ticket through the State Board of Internal Revenue, yet local councils and task forces still force us to buy multiple tickets,” he said.
 
He, however, decried what he termed the growing menace of touts, popularly known as “agberos,” who allegedly operate with impunity across major motor parks and roads in the state.
 
Meanwhile, some of protesting drivers, who narrated their ordeals, alleged that officials of various task forces often impound their vehicles and demand as much as N40,000 for their release when they fail to comply with the multiple tickets’ demand.

“They seize our vehicles at will and force us to pay huge sums. This is not just illegal, it is killing our means of livelihood,” one of the drivers lamented.

The protesters carried placards bearing inscriptions, such as “Operation Ban Agbero,” “Agbero Must Go,” and “Government Help Us,” as they called for an immediate end to illegal taxation and harassment.
 
The demonstration, however, remained peaceful, with no reported incident of violence.