NEPTUNE FEATURE: Man laments over non-release of car in VIO custody (Documents Attached)
Story from Haruna A. YUSUF, Abuja
A man named Mr Edache Onoja Precious has lamented that his Mercedes Benz saloon car, 2007 model with registration number BD329MKA and black in colour, was impounded by the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital territory on 25th of October 2011.
Speaking to Neptune Prime, Edache disclosed that the VIO asked him to park his car, which he obliged without making any trouble with them.
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He said “They (VIO) demanded my vehicle’s particulars, I gave them and my car key with my driving license without arguing with the officers. I handed over all the items mentioned above. Again, as at the time of my arrest, my particulars were renewed two weeks before, so it was to expire the year 2012.”
He further said that up till this time, he does not know his offence.
“And every effort to retrieve my car was met with intimidation by men of the VIO,” he claimed.
Edache said amidst the intimidation, he decided to petition the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the year 2016.
In his word, the Minister set up a committee which resolved that his car should be released to him without a fine or any charges.
“Still around that period, an officer from the VIO called and asked me to come to collect my car, so I went. On getting to the VIO office, my car was presented to me in picture, I told them that this can’t be my car and by the way, I asked, where my car key and driver’s license were? The officers denied being in possession of it.”
When Neptune Prime sought to know what he actually wanted, Edache said “I want the VIO to buy me another car since they can’t provide me with my car, in the condition that it was when they arrested me and impounded it. The public should please come to my aid.”
The Director of VIO, Wadata Aliyu Bodiga, said he is very much aware of Mr Precious Edache’s case because “I inherited the matter from my predecessor. Yes, he was arrested by our men around 2011, but when he was arrested, he refused to surrender his car key and so the car was towed down to our office. Since then, he disappeared until around 2013/14 when he appeared and came with a lot of arguments against paying his fine to retrieve his car, and then he left again.
“Until 2016 when he petitioned the FCT Minister, demanding for a new car to be purchased for him and also claiming that his car has been sold by VIO officers and they used the proceeds for their personal use.”
Additionally, Wadata said that in 2016, the car had already been taken to Auto pond, and he believes Edache do snoop around the office and when he did not see his car in the office area, he concluded that his car was sold by the VIO.
“And again, we asked him to come and retrieve his car but when he came and saw the tear and wear of the car as a result of parking under the harsh weather, he decided not to collect the car and left until 2018, he resurfaced again when the car has been shortlisted for forfeiture. Even at that, we asked him to pick up his car but he refused.”
The Director explained the procedure for forfeiture saying “When a car is abandoned by a traffic offender for the period of six months, the law permits the Vehicle Inspection Officers to go to court and seek for an order of forfeiture and also publish the list of the cars to be forfeited and it must also be gazetted.
“We did all of the above and as it stands now, the shortlisted car belongs to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Mr Edache is number 192 on the shortlisted list. Fast forward to 2020, the Endsars campaign wreaked havoc on the cars we kept in Autopond as the hoodlums went there with a trailer and packed all the vehicles, even the gate was stolen,” he narrated.
Neptune Prime observed that both Mr Edache and the VIO could not reach common ground before invoking the provision of the law.
