‘Agberos’ and imperatives of social order

File photo of thugs.

Published By: Michael Adesina

By Tayo Ogunbiyi

It was like a horror film from one of the ancient Hollywood collections. As the bus-conductor was busy calling various destinations to attract the attention of prospective commuters, a shabbily dressed and fierce-looking young man approached him. Speaking in a husky and terrified tone, he shouted at the bus conductor: “Owo mi da?”; a Yoruba language way of saying: “where is my money?”. Not minding the vicious-looking man and his infamous demand for money, the bus conductor continued in his quest for passengers.

“Agege, Ogba, Iyana- Ipaja, enter with your change”, he thundered sonorously. In a sheer display of un-imaginable haughtiness, the man with the husky voice, with a flaming cigarette in the corner of his mouth, fuming with rage in a manner typical of Sango, the Yoruba god of thunder, went after the unsuspecting conductor and landed a deadly blow on his face.

The power behind the blow was so enormous that even Mike Tyson, in his glorious days, would have felt the impact. It was, therefore, not surprising that the conductor fell ferociously off the door of the bus and landed heavily in the drain by the roadside. Not satisfied with his ‘heroic’ accomplishment, the fierce-looking man further pounced on the conductor like a livid lion would go after its prey, landing on him countless lethal punches, right inside the gully.

By now, the face of the conductor has become swollen, with blood gushing out like water would from a tap. From God knows where, a tall hefty, and equally vicious-looking man appeared on the scene. With his arrival, the atmosphere became more rowdy as shouts of ‘up chair’, and ‘Baba o’ from the husky-voiced man and his mates rend the airs.

The hefty man is the paymaster of the husky-voiced young man and his folks. Eventually, the hefty man gave his verdict: the groaning brow-beaten conductor was to be taken to his office (at God knows where) while the bus driver and the bus were to be confiscated until further notice. As for the passengers on the bus, as they say in local parlance, ‘they are on their own’.

The scene described above is a daily occurrence at various major bus terminals across major cities and towns in the country. Over the years, the notorious actions of some members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, and Road Transport Employer Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, have become so audacious that one wonders where they derive their powers.

The foot soldiers of these groups, popularly referred to as ‘Agberos’ in local parlance, are common sights at various bus terminals, collecting a variety of tolls from bus drivers as well as beating up ‘stubborn’ uncompromising bus conductors and drivers and, indeed, passengers at the slightest provocation.

The menace of ‘Agberos’ has dissuaded lots of decent people from investing in transport business in the country. Many unsuspecting investors have sold off their buses due to frequent harassment from ‘Agberos’ and their sponsors.

Governments across the country are not unaware of the infamous activities of ‘Agberos’. In some instances, some state governments have had to proscribe the various bodies they represent. However, despite this, it is baffling to discover that rather than diminish, dishonorable conduct among ‘Agberos’ has simply increased. The reasons for this are, of course, not far-fetched. First, there is the issue of complicity of law enforcement agencies.

The partisanship of law enforcement agencies has always been a serious issue in tackling the menace of ‘Agberos’ in our society. It has, indeed, been alleged that the leadership of the police have their allegiance to some of the leading sponsors of ‘Agberos’ in the country.
It was sometimes alleged in Oyo State that a former Commissioner of Police in the State was loyal to one of the kingpins of ‘Agberos’ that once unleashed a reign of terror on the state. Some Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) have been alleged to be on the payroll of prominent ‘Agberos’ linchpins. These are serious allegations that the Police authorities must seriously look into.

Also, the lack of political will on the part of governments across the country has been fingered as being responsible for the relentless reprehensible acts of these ‘Agberos’.

In some instances, a few ‘Agberos’ top shots have been alleged to be well connected to corridors of power. Therefore, some of them are not afraid of breaking the law. If, indeed, it is true that some of them have strong backers in high places, as it is being alleged, such backers should know that a mad dog cannot be tamed for too long. It can always come around to bite its owners. Ask the late Chief MKO Abiola!

Governments at various levels need to take firm steps to curb the lawlessness of ‘Agberos’ in the country. They need to stick to tough-line policies to ensure that no group or individual in society continues to act in an ungovernable manner. Similarly, the police and other security agencies should hunt down, arrest, and bring to book any ‘Agbero’ that is involved in anti-social activities. Nobody, no matter how highly placed or connected, should be allowed to go scot-free while inflicting pain on other members of society. It has become a thing of necessity and urgency for relevant agencies to closely monitor the operatives of the transport unions to avert the incessant deadly clashes and deal with errant members if they infract on the law and the rights of other citizens to operate freely.

Plato and Aristotle were Greek philosophers who both developed important ideas about government and politics. Two of the many political subjects that these men wrote about were tyranny and the rule of law. According to them, tyranny occurs when absolute power is granted to a ruler or set of individuals.

In a tyrannical setting, the ruler or a group of people becomes lawless and lives above the law. The rule of law is the principle that no one is exempt from the law, even those who are in a position of power. The rule of law can serve as a safeguard against tyranny because just laws ensure that no individual or group in a society is permitted to be above the law.

It is, therefore, important for relevant authorities in the country to appraise the operational routine of the various transport unions in the country. The transport sector is too vital to be left in the hands of seemingly lawless men. No group or individual must be made to operate above the laws of the land. Before they become another monster that will consume the rest of society, the time for the appropriate authorities to act against unruly ‘Agberos’ is now.

Ogunbiyi is Director of Features in the Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.