Ambulance drivers and mortuary workers have threatened to go on strike over extortion by Abia task force.

To show their displeasure with touts serving as revenue task forces and extorting their colleagues in Abia State, ambulance/hearse operators and funeral personnel organized a peaceful protest on Tuesday.

Protestors from the Hearse, Ambulance, Casket, and Mortuary Decorators Union congested Umuahia, the state’s capital, with their congregated protest.

They slowed down, blasting their sirens and flashing their lights to enrage other drivers.

Trade Union Chairman Comrade Uche Kalu informed journalists that the state’s revenue taskforce had not allowed their members any breathing room as they continued to extort money from them at the Gity Gate Mortuary, Umuahia.

Touts are said to demand payments of up to N10,000 without producing receipts, according to the speaker.

In an attempt to steal money, revenue collectors have destroyed windscreens, side mirrors, and lights on certain cars, according to the official.

They should not be subject to pay fraud, according to the Chairman, because their members “do not work as commercial truck drivers, but rather as humanitarian aid workers”.

He requested from the state authorities that touts be allowed to operate freely by advising them to stay a safe distance from their clientele.

Union members have vowed to embark on a month-long strike if persecution of them continues after the peaceful march.

There are too many touts causing us so much distress, and we want the authorities to put an end to them. Even while transferring the remains of the dead, they do harm to our vehicles and cause delays.

“We are not commercial drivers since we are offering humanitarian help.” Five minutes is a long time to wait for an ambulance. It’s time to put an end to this nonsense! The authorities need to get a handle on these hustlers.” However, when inquired about their petitions to state government, he revealed that the union had written to Governor Orji Uzor Kalu in 2007, but that no action had been done on it. So, he urged Okezie Ikpeazu, the governor of the state of Nigeria, to intercede on their behalf.

https://citizenreporters.ng/ambulance-drivers-and-mortuary-workers-have-threatened-to-go-on-strike-over-extortion/