Imo City Transport Biometric Data Capturing/Painting Authority Apprehends Defaulters
Dan Opara & Mary Ugorji
In a bid to ensure adequate security of Imo citizens, the Imo City Transport, ICT, Biometric Data Capture and Painting, has apprehended drivers who failed to adhere to the state government’s directives of capturing and painting their vehicles to meet standards.
Parading the defaulters at the office of Imo City Transport Owerri, on Monday, January 10th, 2022, the Chairman, Imo City Transport, ICT, Security, Biometric Data Capturing and Painting, Elder Anaelechi Ukawune, disclosed that the commission has set up a monitoring team to check activities of commercial drivers in the state.
He noted that it is no longer business as usual as the commission is out to make sure that the interest of Governor Hope Uzodimma in making Imo a crime-free state is achieved.
He insisted that those caught and paraded would be handed over to the police to face the law
Ukawune warned those commercial drivers plying the state roads while hiding under the students’ franchise to better make themselves available and comply to the government’s directives or decide to ply only under the ambiance of their schools’ environments.
The Chairman stated that the major reason for Commercial Drivers Data Capturing and Painting is for the security of Imolites as he advised citizens to be vigilant and on the lookout for driver’s picture, number, and Imo City Transport Committee number on all the commercial buses before entering it for their own safety.
He promised to make the capturing exercise easy for drivers especially those who complain of funds for the exercise.
He said, “We try to assist those who cannot really pay the complete money at once by accepting from them any amount or allowing them to pay in installments. I cannot be here and our drivers suffer. I’m here to help them do what is right if they agree”.
Speaking also, the Imo City Transport Head of Operations, Comr. Emmanuel Oluchukwu who led the monitoring team said that he was very surprised to discover on their first move, a good number of commercial vehicles with fake paintings and numbers plying the city of Owerri hence their arrest.
He stated that through the drivers’ biometric data and capturing, investigation on a particular vehicle and the driver can be very easy, saying stolen vehicles can be easily retrieved through this measure.
He said: “The establishment of the Imo City Transport Biometric Data Capturing and Painting is to check crimes and activities of hoodlums in the state”.
He identified some of the defaulters apprehended alongside their buses which includes: one Collins Ugwuegbu, from Eziama-Obiato, Chukwuemeka Echendu (Orodo Mbaitoli), Charles Onyeji, Ositadimma Osuigwe (Ogbaku) among others.
Defaulters arrested spoke to newsmen on why they were apprehended, agreed to the offense giving the excuse that they could not come to the authorized center, Ndubuisi Kanu Square for their biometric data capture and painting because they felt doing it outside would be cheaper for them as they really complained of financial constraints.
