Posted by Officers of the Delta State Police Command and competing groups were accused by the Delta State chapter of NACTOMORAS—the National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association—of interfering with their authorized transport company operations.
In light of the allegations of intimidation and harassment directed towards NACTOMORAS members, the group has taken matters into its own hands and made an appeal to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, pleading with them to intervene.
Goodwin Ikolo, national public relations officer for NACTOMORAS, voiced concern during a nonviolent demonstration on Udu Road in the Udu Local Government Area of Delta State about the ongoing indiscriminate arrests and mistreatment of protesters by police.
He went on to say that in 2022, the National Human Rights Commission had asked the police in Delta State to stop harassing the association’s members.
Protesters pointed to the 2015 death of a member as evidence that the commission should compensate the family with N8 million; this sum has not been disbursed as of this writing.
The group has lost around 150 tricycles and motorbikes, worth at more over N150 million, due to police activities, according to Ikolo, who is also the head of the Delta State chapter.
We are demonstrating in Delta State because the Nigeria Police Force has been too aggressive in handling matters pertaining to our business.
As law-abiding people, we are members of a respectable organization that has registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). We are cognizant of the fact that freedom of association is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he stated.
According to Ikolo, NACTOMORAS was obstructed in its operations by the Delta State Ministry of Transportation and an opposing group, who allegedly employed the police and hired thugs and touts.
“They harass, persecute, and detain our members all over the state, hindering our ability to do business,” he stated.
He recounted the events of September 5th and 6th, 2016, when their Udu office was raided by the Delta State Ministry of Transport and four Hilux security personnel.
Members were arrested and more than 150 motorcycles and tricycles were confiscated. The previous Commissioner for Transport made it clear that seizures and arrests will go on in a public statement.
We are requesting that the police respect the decision and suggestions made by the National Human Rights Commission, which was attended by all parties involved, and refrain from interfering with our affairs.
“If this does not stop, we will rally our six million registered members nationwide to stage a huge demonstration against police brutality,” Ikolo cautioned.
Not only has NACTOMORAS demanded that the federal and state governments intervene and ensure the release of their tricycles and motorbikes that have been kept by the police for years, but it has also stressed that it is a legally registered body with the CAC.
Many of the seized cars had purchase agreements that put their owners in a precarious financial position.
When asked, SP Edafe Bright, a spokesman for the Delta State Police, stated that the force will only transact with entities that have official recognition from the Delta State Government.
According to him, the state government is unaware that NACTOMORAS is prohibited in Delta. The institution of law enforcement, he argued, is not responsible to the Human Rights Commission but rather has a duty to safeguard judicial entities.
He thinks NACTOMORAS should use the legal system to assert its rights if its leadership is serious about operating in Delta.
Could the National Human Rights Commission be considered a branch of the law? Hear them out; it is not our responsibility to do so. Edafe emphasized that the judiciary is not responsible for resolving disputes; rather, they should seek a judgement from a court of law.