Commercial drivers blocked the Obiri-Kwere Flyover after alleging a colleague was assaulted by taskforce officials, causing hours of traffic disruption

Commercial drivers on Thursday staged a Port Harcourt Drivers Protest at the Obiri-Kwere Flyover on the outskirts of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after alleging that suspected taskforce officials assaulted one of their members during an attempt to seize his vehicle.

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The protest brought transport activities to a temporary standstill as the drivers blocked the busy route and demanded the immediate disbandment of the taskforce, accusing its members of harassment, extortion and unprofessional conduct.

The disruption triggered heavy traffic congestion for about two hours, leaving motorists, including travellers heading to the Port Harcourt International Airport, stranded.

According to the protesters, the incident occurred during a dispute over a ticket-related issue when taskforce officials allegedly attempted to impound a commercial vehicle.

The drivers claimed the victim was pushed from his moving vehicle during the altercation, aggravating injuries sustained from a recent major surgical operation.

“They seized the driver’s vehicle and dragged him out of it, and he fell down,” one of the protesters said.

“And the driver had a major operation recently. He was seriously injured and was taken to the hospital. That is why we are protesting.”

The incident heightened long-standing grievances among commercial drivers, who alleged that confrontations with taskforce officials had become frequent at the Obiri-Kwere Flyover.

Another protesting driver alleged that extortion and physical assaults had become routine.

“Look at my hand, they broke my hand and ran. They should leave this Obiri-Kwere for us. There is no bus stop here,” the driver said.

“They will demarcate somewhere and mark it as a boundary. If you park at the boundary, they will still come and impose charges on us.

“And the money they are collecting from us is not small. They collect money that you cannot even make in a week. Is it not wickedness? We don’t want these agberos (touts) anymore.”

The protest underscored persistent tensions between commercial transport operators and enforcement teams operating on major roads in Rivers State, where drivers have repeatedly raised concerns over alleged intimidation and illegal levies.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Choba-Eleme Chapel, Success Temitope, called for the taskforce to be restructured to improve accountability and restore confidence among transport operators.

Temitope argued that recognised transport unions should take a leading role in traffic enforcement activities involving commercial vehicles.

“The work belongs to the union. Let the work be left for the union, not to gather some people and say this person is the taskforce chairman. No,” he said.

“They should call the two gazetted unions we have in Nigeria. We have the National Union and we have the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria.

“The two unions should come together and form a joint taskforce to stop this matter.”

While the protest ended after several hours, the incident renewed calls for the Rivers State Government to review the operations of transport enforcement teams and address concerns over alleged misconduct.

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As of the time of filing this report, the Rivers State Government and the officials accused by the protesters had not publicly responded to the allegations. Their responses were not immediately available.