By Victor Oluwasegun
I was driving to the office on a Monday morning and suddenly, these people drove into my view from their hideout, what was my offence, they were trying to stop a car behind me, they said, I would have collided with their car if i had missed my brakes by two seconds, it was a close call that left me shaking behind the wheels, and I needed to know what exactly is the work of a Vehicle Inspection Officer, VIO in the Society?
I have watched these men dressed like angels perform the most devilish acts on the roads in some cases, being the cause of fatal accidents.
The Vehicle Inspection Officers continue to ambush motorists on the roads in the FCT in spite of rulings by 2 Federal judges that the VIO does not have any business stopping vehicles on the road.
Why are we so lawless in this country?
These rulings effectively stop the VIOs from jumping in front of your vehicle for whatever reason because they no longer have the legal backing to do that.
Only on Tuesday, 8th of October, I went through the website of the VIO and followed their history and metamorphosis from the colonial era through regional governments to the states. The long and short of the matter is that at the bottom of the website, a Mr. Kareem wrote the following: “This site is passing wrong information to the public…please see the case of Edun Vs Delta State Government…it was further held at the court of appeal that VIOs have no business on the road and that any vehicle inspection is to be done in their office. Please be guided.” It was posted 9 months ago!
But Nigerians, myself included, hardly ever read. So, you still see these men in white committing great atrocities and generally making themselves a great nuisance to the motoring public. The hide at traffic lights, inside flowers at junctions like bandits and generally cause trauma to the driving public.
Has anyone ever wondered why the Lagos State government stopped VIOs from operating on its roads?
This has been since the days of former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode who ordered the temporary suspension of the state’s Vehicle Inspection Officers, VIOs from road operation in the state with immediate effect.
That was in 2017. The order is still in force in Lagos. And Yet, no evil has happened. This is towards the end of 2022, almost 5 good years!
So it was that the VIOs, under the Vehicle Inspection Service, VIS, became a thing of the past in Lagos, and the citizens heaved a great sigh of relief. They were giving citizens plenty problems, were generally uncouth, added to the terrible traffic snarl in the city. Pls, let the FCT be rid of such brigangade.
Check out the report below, which is one of hundreds.
“VIO, sustained injuries in an accident at the Lugbe Bridge along Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road, Abuja 20, September, 2022. The accident was caused by the VIO officers who were driving on “One Way” while chasing a vehicle at the Lugbe interchange.
According to eye witness report, the officers were driving against the traffic on the bridge in an attempt to arrest a driver whose vehicle documents were alleged to have expired but, in the process, had a head-on collision with an oncoming Toyota Corolla vehicle.”
This is just one of many that we know, there are hundreds…
Nigerians are raising questions on which legal system continues to keep the VIOs on the road despite the Court rulings.
