BREAKING: Soludo Under Pressure as Travellers Decry Insecurity, Roadside Transport Chaos at Upper Iweka

Passengers travelling through Onitsha, Anambra State, have appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to urgently tackle the growing activities of roadside commercial vehicle operators and touts at the Upper Iweka axis, describing the area as a hotspot for robbery, harassment and disorder.

The appeal follows an incident on Sunday, July 26, in which a female student, identified as Gracebell Ovie, allegedly lost her handbag, mobile phone and other valuables after being accosted by roadside loaders along Ilodibe Service Lane, near Eastern Academy, while attempting to board a commercial vehicle to Enugu.

Speaking to our correspondent, Ovie said she had arrived in Onitsha from Benin City and, after running some errands, proceeded to a registered transport park to continue her journey.

According to her, several roadside operators insisted she board their vehicles. When she refused and opted for a recognised transport company, a struggle reportedly ensued during which her handbag was snatched.

“I insisted on boarding a vehicle from a recognised park. In the process of dragging me, they made away with my handbag containing my phone and other valuables. By the time I returned after dropping my bigger luggage, they had disappeared,” she lamented.

The visibly distraught student said the incident highlighted the insecurity confronting many travellers passing through Onitsha, urging the state government to sanitise the commercial transport system.

“As the gateway to the South-East, Anambra should not allow criminals to exploit innocent travellers,” she added.

Another passenger, Mike Uche, said he had a similar experience in December 2025 when he allegedly lost his phone and wallet after being dragged by roadside loaders at the same location.

He described the operators as criminal elements masquerading as transport workers and urged security agencies to rid the area of illegal transport activities.

An elderly traveller, Ichie Damian Udemmadu, also recounted how his son reportedly fell victim to suspected “one-chance” operators after boarding a roadside vehicle at Upper Iweka.

Since then, he said, he had resolved to patronise only registered transport companies.

A staff member of one of the transport firms operating along Ilodibe Service Lane, who requested anonymity, blamed the proliferation of illegal roadside loading points for the persistent disorder in the area.

He disclosed that recognised transport companies, including Romchi Transport, Ekwulobia Urban Mass Transit and Star Sunny Motors, operate parks within the vicinity but are often forced to compete with unregistered roadside operators.

According to him, vehicles heading to Awka, Enugu, Abakaliki and other destinations routinely load passengers along the roadside, creating traffic congestion, littering the environment and exposing commuters to criminal activities.

“They harass passengers, obstruct legitimate businesses and sometimes attack anyone who challenges their operations,” he alleged.

He appealed to Governor Soludo and the Anambra State Commissioner for Transport, Hon. Eddy Ibuzo, to direct relevant enforcement agencies to clear illegal loading points and restore order to the area.

However, one of the roadside operators, who identified himself simply as Pious, rejected allegations that those operating along the road were criminals.

He maintained that he was only trying to earn a living and claimed that they had the approval of certain government revenue agents to operate from the roadside.

According to him, the operators pay stipulated levies to the agents each time they load passengers.

The incident has renewed calls for stricter regulation of commercial transport activities at Upper Iweka, with travellers urging the Anambra State Government to clamp down on illegal loading points and strengthen security around one of the state’s busiest transport corridors.