A civil rights group, the Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS), has kicked against institutional corruption or regulatory banditry involving Vehicle Inspection Office, (VIO) in Abia, Abia State.
CEHRAWS in a statement signed by Okoye, Chuka Peter and made available to DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS demanded an urgent action from the Abia State government to stem the tide, failure of which it threatened to approach the court.
”The Government must act swiftly to cleanse the system and uphold the integrity of public institutions by ensuring that agencies like the VIO operate strictly within the bounds of law and ethics.
”CEHRAWS strongly condemns, in unequivocal terms, the gross misconduct, brazen extortion, and unlawful harassment meted out to a private motorist, Mr. Obinna Nwagbara by officers of the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), Aba Zone, Abia State, on Thursday July 17, 2025.
”The said victim, Mr. Obinna Nwagbara, the Executive Director of Youth and Students Advocates for Development Initiative (YSAD) was flagged down at Bata Junction, Aba, by officers of the VIO, who demanded for vehicle particulars and a driver’s license, notwithstanding that such demand falls outside the remit of the VIO under extant law. The victim cooperated fully and presented all requested items, including fire extinguisher, caution triangle, spare tire, and jack. However, the VIO officers proceeded to unlawfully seize his driver’s license, fire extinguisher, and vehicle documents, citing the absence of a first aid box as justification, an item not mandated under any enforceable law for private vehicle users.
Subsequently, the victim was coerced to the VIO office in Aba, where he was compelled to part with ₦20,000 under duress, and later asked to “settle” with ₦5,000 to retrieve his seized items. These acts amount to extortion, abuse of office, and a violation of the victim’s constitutional rights to dignity, fair hearing, and freedom from degrading treatment, as guaranteed under Sections 34 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”
According to the statement, the civil rights group noted that the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the primary agency authorized under federal law to enforce traffic regulations, does not harass citizens with such arbitrary demands. “More worrisome is the fact that VIO officers under the Abia State Ministry of Transport, are now acting in defiance of existing judicial pronouncements which restrain them from mounting roadblocks or conducting vehicle stops on public roads,” it stated.
CEHRAWS recalled that several court decisions have held that state VIO officers lack legal authority to stop vehicles on public highways or carry out enforcement actions tantamount to policing, an act exclusively within the purview of lawfully designated agencies. The continued presence of VIO operatives on Abia roads, harassing and extorting money from motorists, is not only illegal but constitutes an affront to public decency and the rule of law.
Accordingly, “CEHRAWS demands the following without delay:
1. Immediate disciplinary action by the Abia State Government and the Ministry of Transport against the officers involved in the said extortion incident.
2. A public apology and compensation to the victim for the unlawful seizure of his property, psychological distress, and financial loss.
3. A clear directive from the State Government banning VIO officers from engaging in enforcement activities on roads in Abia State, in line with subsisting court judgments.
4. The disbandment of all VIO road checkpoints across the state, especially those operated with the intent to extort and intimidate.
5. A comprehensive audit and investigation of VIO activities and all funds unlawfully collected from road users under the guise of enforcement.”
It then concluded that the “New Abia” under Governor Alex Otti cannot and must not be associated with institutional corruption or regulatory banditry.
”The Government must act swiftly to cleanse the system and uphold the integrity of public institutions by ensuring that agencies like the VIO operate strictly within the bounds of law and ethics.
”Failure to act decisively will not only signal complicity but will deepen public distrust in the government’s professed reform agenda,” CEHRAWS advised.
