The enforcement of transport tickets by officials of the Osun State Government Transport Management System has raised safety concerns in parts of Osogbo, with commercial motorcycle operators and passengers alleging that some officials use dangerous tactics to stop riders and collect payments.
Findings by THE POINT at Fagbewesa Junction, Olaiya and Alekunwodo areas of Osogbo showed that ticket enforcement is often carried out amid confrontations between officials and commercial motorcycle operators.
At Fagbewesa Junction on Tuesday, THE POINT observed ticket officials stationed along the road, stopping commercial motorcycles and demanding payment. The manner in which some riders were stopped, however, appeared capable of triggering road accidents.
In one incident witnessed by the reporter, an official identified as Tobiloba moved in front of a moving motorcycle approaching the junction from the Jaleyemi area and pulled at the rider’s fez cap.
The motorcycle subsequently lost balance, causing the rider and his female passenger to fall onto the road.
The passenger, who was returning from a restaurant in Jaleyemi, was briefly unconscious after the fall. Traders and passers-by rushed to assist her and moved her away from the road.
She later regained consciousness, while the rider was seen with a cut on his leg.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the confrontation continued after the fall, claiming that some of the officials slapped the rider and accused him of being under the influence of alcohol.
As more people gathered at the scene, the officials reportedly apologised to the passenger and paid for the food she had purchased, which was damaged in the incident.
The incident has renewed concerns among residents, traders and commercial transport operators over the methods used by some ticket officials to enforce payment.
A trader identified as Anthony said he now avoids allowing Okada riders to take him directly to areas where ticket officials operate.
“Once an Okada man is taking me to Olaiya, I ask him to stop me before getting to where these boys are because they are brutal and inhumane in their approach,” he said.
Anthony acknowledged the need for ticket collection but urged the officials to adopt safer methods.
“No one says they should not issue tickets to Okada riders, but they should be civil in the discharge of their duties. Jumping into a moving motorcycle and attacking riders are not the way to collect these tickets,” he added.
A business owner in the Olaiya area, who requested anonymity, also alleged that a nursing mother carrying her newborn baby once fell from a motorcycle after ticket officials allegedly pushed the rider while the motorcycle was moving.
The source said such actions could have resulted in a fatal accident if another vehicle had been approaching at the time.
“I hope the state government, through the Ministry of Transportation, does something urgent to checkmate the excesses of these transport officials,” the source said.
Some commercial motorcycle operators also alleged that disagreements with ticket officials sometimes escalate into physical confrontations, with claims of injuries to riders and damage to motorcycles.
They called on the state government and the leadership of the transport management system to investigate complaints against its officials and introduce safer methods of enforcing ticket payments.
Ticketers blame riders for evading payment
However, some ticket officials rejected the allegations of excessive conduct, arguing that several commercial motorcycle operators deliberately attempt to evade payment.
One of the officials involved in the Fagbewesa incident said riders were familiar with the locations where ticket collectors operate and should pay without waiting to be stopped.
“They already know that we stay here. They shouldn’t wait for us to stop them before paying for tickets,” the official said.
He added that an arrangement had been reached with some Okada operators for them to pay N100 in the morning and N500 in the afternoon.
According to him, riders who attempt to evade payment often trigger the confrontations with ticket officials.
While the officials defended their approach, residents and transport stakeholders urged the state government to balance revenue collection with public safety.
They maintained that whatever method is adopted to enforce transport levies should not expose motorcycle operators, passengers or other road users to avoidable danger.
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