It was a routine drive home for Carl (real name withheld), nothing unusual, nothing out of the ordinary. The Shell Residential Area (RA) bus stop in Port Harcourt, often bustling with commuters and vendors, was where his journey took a sharp and terrifying turn.
“They accused me of not using my hazard lights,” he began, his voice trembling as he recounted the ordeal. “But it wasn’t about hazard lights. They had their eyes set on something else.”
Out of nowhere, a group of men had surrounded his car. Their aggression was immediate, their demands laced with threats. Before Carl could fully grasp what was happening, they forced their way into his car. “They didn’t ask for an explanation. They dragged me into my own vehicle,” he said, his voice breaking as if the memory itself weighed him down.
The men, who looked like members of a task force, commandeered his car and drove him to Oyigbo, a bustling suburb on the outskirts of Port Harcourt. What happened there deepened his nightmare. “They beat me,” he said, wincing as he shifted in his seat. “And then they extorted money from me. They didn’t care about the law—they acted like they were above it.”
For Carl, the physical pain was only a part of the ordeal. “It was humiliating,” he said. “They stripped away my dignity in those moments.” His voice carried the weight of anger, fear, and determination as he called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to disband the task force. “They’re not protecting anyone. They’re preying on us,” he said.
Carl’s story is one of many, a grim reflection of a growing menace in Rivers State.
For Stanley Nwaoji, the nightmare began when his wife stopped to take a phone call near the Eliozu flyover. Six men in blue T-shirts approached her, accusing her of improper parking. “They took her car key through the window,” Stanley said, anger simmering in his voice. “While pretending to negotiate, one of them drove off with the car.” The others fled in a minibus, leaving her stranded and terrified. They told her to meet them at Water Lines for “settlement,” but efforts to recover the car have since been fruitless.
In another corner of the city, at the Obiri Ikwerre Flyover, Martins Chike, a member of the Rumuosi Businessmen Association, had his own harrowing encounter. He had parked his car briefly when a group of men accused him of violating traffic rules. “I asked them to show their identification,” Chike recounted. “Instead, they harassed me, took my phones, and emptied my pockets.”
But Chike refused to let the matter go. Rallying his union members, he tracked the group to their hideout. The confrontation turned violent. John Michael, one of the union members, was brutally beaten, his injuries a stark reminder of the lengths these rogue elements will go to.
George Ihwunda, another member of the Rumuosi Businessmen Association, voiced a deeper concern. “Crime is rising,” he said, pointing to uncompleted houses in the area that have become hideouts for criminals. “If we don’t act now, it will only get worse.”
Enefaa Georgewill, Chairman of the Rivers State Civil Society Organisation (RIVSCO), is no stranger to such accounts. “We’ve received so many complaints from motorists about people claiming to be task force members,” he said. His voice carried the tone of a man both weary and determined.
Georgewill explained that some of these rogue groups are suspected to be backed by local government officials and powerful individuals within the community. “This is why they act with impunity,” he added. He urged victims to break their silence and report their experiences through RIVSCO’s social media platforms. “The more we speak up, the harder it becomes for them to hide,” he said.
Human rights lawyer, Higher King, shared a similar message. He encouraged victims to take their cases to local government chairmen and pursue legal action. “Gather evidence,” he advised. “Photos, videos, anything that can help. And if you see someone being harassed, step in and document it.” King also called on Governor Fubara to create a counter-task force to rein in the rogue operators tarnishing the government’s image.
For now, Carl, Stanley, Martins, and others like them hold onto a fragile hope, that their voices, combined, will compel the Rivers State Government to act.
When contacted, the Rivers state commissioner for Information and Communication, Joe Johnson declined to speak on it.
But the Chairman of the Rivers State Taskforce on Illegal Street Trading and Motor Parks, Felix Nwandibe, said the agency only uses branded vehicles and uniforms for its operations. “The Rivers state task force does not use mini-buses or tricycles”, he said.
He said the state task force officials are being impersonated by unknown groups and called on residents to resist and report to law enforcement agencies for immediate action.
The police public relations officer, Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringi-Koko, has asked for more time to respond to the issues.
Earlier, the chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Chijioke Ihunwo, accused the police of encouraging touting in the area.
“Most cases of vehicle impoundments are as a result of the Police providing backing to the illegal task force officials particularly those operating in major junctions and motor parks”, he said.
The police partake in the sharing of the illegal fines collected from victims, he added.
