It was a nightmarish experience for a fourteen year old student of St Paul’s International School, Owerri, Imo State capital, when operatives of the Vehicle Inspection Office, VIO, kept him hostage for hours in their office.
The victim, who was driven by an uncle before they encountered the VIO official, from what Trumpeta learnt had their vehicle stopped at one of the VIO checking points on Aladimma road in the State capital.
According to the victim’s father, while narrating the incident to Trumpeta, he disclosed that the victim (name withheld) who was on his way back to home was in very bad health condition when the VIO officials allegedly took him away in the car because of lack of fire extinguisher after check.
Trumpeta learnt that when the driver of the vehicle was stopped by the VIO operatives on the roads, he obeyed and stopped. He also presented necessary vehicle particulars and driving license. It was only on the issue of fire extinguisher that made the VIO men to drag down the driver before moving away with the car while the teenager was inside.
It was learnt that the mastermind of the action was one female top official who directed that the boy alongside the vehicle be taken away while the driver was dropped.
The victim’s father told Trumpeta that the driver who was left behind was the one who called his attention to the development. While a VIO official drive took the car away with the little boy it was revealed that the lady called some people who came with a keke bus to undertake the action. “Some people who came with a keke bus, four thugs in civilian dress and one other man in white and black uniform of VIO, pushed the driver out of the vehicle, drove the boy and the vehicle away to where the driver didn’t know”, the father revealed.
According to the owner of the car and father of the victim, it was when he arrived that the team leader named one, Juliet Anyanwu disclosed that the boy and vehicle was taken to VIO office at Egbu road.
When the victim’s father arrived at ICAPS office that houses VIO on Egbu road, Owerri, where the boy had been under the sun for hours, his health condition had worsened as he was abandoned at the place. It was after the intervention of the father that the detained boy was released hours after.
Further details from the victim’s family have it that while the trauma has landed the 14yr-old boy in a private clinic for medical rehabilitation, the father after paying for the release of the vehicle, also got exploited through other exorbitant charges before his car could leave the VIO office premises.
Efforts to reach the VIO officials proved abortive. When our reporter reached the premise and explained his mission, he was not only rebuffed but refused entry on the premises that no “oga” was available to speak on the matter.
