Minibus Drivers Lament Extortion By Ticketers In Osogbo

Commercial minibus (Korope) drivers in Osogbo, Osun State capital, have lamented extortion by some personnel of the state transport management service (OSTMS).

The OSTMS officials, according to the commercial transporters who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, were the ones responsible for issuing daily tickets.

According to them, apart from inflating the price of the ticket, the ticketers also demand that they collect two tickets daily.

They said efforts to call the attention of the leadership of the state transport union to the issue have proved abortive.

OSUN DEFENDER reporter also witnessed an altercation between a driver and one of the ticketers stationed around Ataoja School of Science, Osogbo, yesterday.

Trouble started when the ticketer issued a ticket of N50 to the minibus driver and demanded a fee of N100.

The driver, who later gave his name as Qaudri Omoniyi, questioned why he should pay N100 for a ticket of N50, a situation that degenerated into verbal abuse.

Speaking with the medium after grudgingly paying the N100, Omoniyi, who spoke in Yoruba language, lamented that collecting a sum above the normal price has been the practice of the ticketers.

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He said, “We collect different tickets every day. Those people have been swindling us. On this particular one, N50 was written on the ticket but the ticketers are collecting N100 from us.

“I intentionally challenged them today because I’m frustrated. Imagine buying petrol at N950 per litre and paying over the normal price for tickets also.

“We’ve complained about this to some of our leaders but nothing positive has come up till now. Everyone in position in this country is just out to make life difficult for ordinary Nigerians.”

Another driver who witnessed the altercation, corroborated Omoniyi, adding that he sometimes paid twice for the same ticket.

The driver who gave his name simply as Wasiu stated that tickets issued in Osogbo are not recognised in other parts of the state.

“We are tired and hoping that the state government and the leadership of the transport management system will find a solution to this.

“Sometimes, when I collect a ticket in Osogbo, those at Ilobu and Ifon will reject it and request I pay for another one. It is the same ticket,” the driver, who spoke in Yoruba, said.