BY VINCENT UJUMADU
AWKA—FOR the second time in two weeks, some people who claimed to be members of Anambra State on Emblem, have manhandled a Vanguard Newspapers driver, Mr Osakpamwan Omoruyi, in Onitsha and extorted N27,000 from him for allegedly not possessing an emblem of the state’s Ministry of Works.

The vehicle, with plate number XL 486 BEN, which was used to convey newspapers for Anambra readers, was seized with the driver and dragged to the Onitsha office of the Ministry of Works and Transport, close to Onitsha Prisons, where they were detained for several hours before the Vanguard Circulation representative for Onitsha was allowed to collect the newspapers.

He had to use a commercial motorcycle to distribute them to the vendors who waited endlessly and had to leave the Vanguard distribution centre in the town.

The alleged offence of the driver was that his vehicle did not have Anambra State “Consolidated Emblem” for heavy duty trucks, lorries and commercial motorcycles which is being sold by the state Ministry of Works and Transport.

The task force men had swooped on the driver at the Niger Bridge Head Onitsha, forced him out of the vehicle and drove the vehicle to their office.

It took the intervention of the Chairman of Onitsha Newspapers Directors and Distributors Association, ONDDA, Mr Jude Oguzie, to plead with the vendors from engaging in a showdown with the task force men as they frowned on the constant harassment and intimidation of newspaper houses they do business with.