… says online report dished out to cause chaos
The Oyo State Road Transport Management Agency (OYRTMA) has debunked reports that its officials attacked a group of protesters who were demonstrating against the conversion of a forest reserve into a housing estate in Oyo State.
According to OYRTMA, they received several complaints from motorists and commuters that Parliament to Dandaru, down to Agodi Secretariat Road has been blocked with vehicles with no just no one inside the vehicles which led to the obstruction of free flow traffic and there was a standstill.
The agency said the reports circulating online were a gross misrepresentation of the incident and were intended to cause confusion and chaos.
Officials of the agency were only carrying out their mandate as enshrined in the established act, OYRTMA LAW 2009, section 16 (a & b), which enabled the agency to control traffic and enforce state and national laws, which govern the safe use of vehicles on roads in the state and to deter and apprehend road traffic offenders.
“Meanwhile, the Executive Chairman of OYRTMA, Adesagba, the General Manager, Ayoade Adeoye and other commanders were in Ogbomoso for traffic monitoring for the coronation of new Soun of Ogbomoso.
“We received several complaints from motorists and commuters that protesters have blocked the road from Dandaru to Agodi, which obstructed the free flow of traffic which left others stranded for hours.
“The officers around quickly swung into action and arrived at the affected areas. Having removed and towed two vehicles out of the many that were parked to obstruct free movement of vehicles on the major road to our operation headquarters at Secretariat, they came out enmass from the garden to harrase our officers.
“Some minutes later, the protesters numbering over 100 invaded our office with many of their vehicles and started shouting, occupy OYRTMA, they became unruly by harassing our female officers and started dismantling our offices.
“At that point, the General Manager had to reinforce by calling personnel from Operation Burst to calm the situation and protect our officers at the office. At that point, our officers impounded the three out of the vehicles that they drove into our compound.
“What OYRTMA did was within its core mandate, we only went there to enforce sanity and ensure free flow of traffic and that they do not use the protest to disrupt other people’s activities.
“They became unruly, harassed our officers, we have no business with them whatsoever. Do your protest within the ambit of the law.