BY FAVOUR NNABUGWU

Tragedy was averted at the weekend when officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, raided Area 1 Shopping Complex in Abuja, creating panic and confusion in the area. Among those counting their losses on account of the incident is the owner of a red sports utility vehicle, SUV, which was parked by the shopping complex.

*Abuja commercial buses

The car was damaged when a taxi cab rammed into it as the cab driver was trying to make a quick get away from the scene.

Vanguard Metro, VM, which witnessed the incident was taken aback as others present when the NIS pickup car made a sudden stop near the supposed taxi park with six taxi cabs loading Areas: 11, 111 and 10.

And almost immediately some officials in uniform and mufti alighted from the pick-up and headed for the taxi cabs waiting to pick passengers.

They promptly impounded two of the taxi cabs and thereafter crammed themselves inside.

While this was going on, the drivers of other taxi cabs quickly dived into their own cars and zoomed off. But one of them who tried to prevent an Immigration official from entering his taxi had the screen of the car shattered.

It was while he was trying to reverse and manoeuvre his cab out of the place that it hit the red SUV car whose driver and a companion seated beside him luckily escaped unhurt.

The owner of the SUV, Mallam Ibrahim Garba who was apparently dazed by the impact came out of his seriously damaged car without saying a word. But 20 minutes after, he was approached by a taskforce official in army uniform who pleaded with him to go to Area 1 under bridge apparently for a chat with the team’s leader on how to address the issue of the damaged vehicle.

An hour later when VM called Mallam Garba to ask if the issue has been resolved, it was gathered that the team leader would want Mallam Garba to hold on till the escaped taxi driver was apprehended.

When VM called NIS Public Relations Officer, CPP Emeka Obua, to ask him why NIS had to raid an alleged illegal parking lot, he confirmed that Immigration officers are part of a task force set up by the Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, adding that it was not out of place to see some of their officers among the task force team.

Obua also cited an instance when he was harassed by one of their officials who ordered him to move his car from a particular spot not knowing who he was until he identified himself, adding that nevertheless, he obeyed and moved his car away from that spot.

The Secretary of Taxi Cab Branch near the Complex, Abdulrahman Ali, who was at a loss over the invasion said the Area 1 under bridge team gave them the permission to stop and pick passengers on the walkway of the road rather than doing that on the road and causing traffic obstruction in the process.

Ali told VM thus: “Madam, I honestly do not understand what just happened. Before now they used to harass us when our members stop by the road side to pick passengers. We then went to the head of the team under the bridge and spoke to them, he told us that taxis could not continue to stop and pick passengers on the road, but said he rather preferred we moved to the walkway, and that we have adhered to”.

A taxi driver, Salisu Sunday, said they are tired of being harassed by the task force officials. “Where do they want us to stop and pick passengers? There is no park provided for us. What else do they want us to live on?” he asked no one in particular rather helplessly.