In a dramatic turn of events at the Ibeju Lekki Free Trade Zone early Sunday morning, concerned petroleum tanker drivers have issued an SOS message to Governor Babajide Sanwoolu and the leadership of the PTD branch of NUPENG.

The drivers, who rely on the zone—home to major industrial facilities including the Dangote Refineries and Pinnacle Oil and Gas—to transport petroleum products, claim they have been relentlessly targeted by officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA).

At approximately 2:00 am on February 22, 2025, LASTMA officials, allegedly in collusion with thugs from the Tax Force, launched a violent incursion into the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

Because of ban of night driving by the union for safety reasons, we parked many of the trucks we loaded at night on a single lane to continue our journey the next morning.

It was gathered from a reliable source that the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation/Commissioner of Transport is also aware of the recent siege against Tanker Drivers but kept mute for reasons best known to them.

Eyewitnesses report that the law enforcement operatives forcefully towed tanker vehicles, arrested drivers, and even fired shots sporadically into the air over a period of more than two hours. The chaotic scenes have left many questioning the true motive behind the operation.

It is also pertinent to note that it has been the usual practice of LASTMA, accompanied by thugs and The Nigeria Police task force, to storm tanker trucks’ locations and forcefully tow tanker trucks in Mile 2, Apapa, Ibeju Lekki, and other areas.

Controversy has further escalated with allegations that the Lagos State Commissioner of Transport, Hon. Sola Giwa—the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation and the man reportedly at the helm of LASTMA’s recent activities—is orchestrating these aggressive moves.

According to sources, the Commissioner of Transport, Sola Giwa, along with their associates has been actively involved in the planning and execution of what drivers describe as a systematic campaign of harassment, intimidation, and extortion. Among the most damning claims is the imposition of an unlawful “E-callup” fee amounting to 12,500 naira per tanker, a practice that has reportedly become routine under the current regime.

According to a driver who craves anonymity, “they intentionally target tanker trucks for extortion, they have turned tanker trucks to a coded source of income. And are planning to legalize the extortion through N12,500 of E-Call up.” he narrated.

“However, the Transport Commissioner, Sola Giwa and their team always calls stakeholder meetings and media chat that the aim of the “E-Call up” is to avoid the build-up of traffic congestion like Apapa. Meanwhile, Ibeju Lekki’s case is different, and the drivers have been loading seamlessly without any “E-Call up.”

“It is also noteworthy that the sum of 12,500 naira as a fee has never been mentioned in any of these meetings which has now made PTD members raise an eyebrow about the legitimacy of the “E-callup” and to whose advantage it is.”

The drivers having gotten wind of the information, know that the money is the reason they find it difficult to start, and they hope the union leaders will not mistakenly agree with their oppressors because it would cause big crises in Lagos State.

However, the tanker drivers have vowed that if their ability to deliver petroleum products to designated filling stations is compromised, the entire blame will rest on LASTMA, under the leadership of the present Commissioner of Transport and Sola Giwa.

The drivers wondered why the state government agents are trying to scuffle loading activity in Ibeju Lekki- Are they angry with Dangote Refinery? Are they angry that there is no more fuel scarcity in the state? What is their main reason for clamping down on a working system that effectively provided and delivers petroleum products across the nation.

“Alhaji Aliko Dangote, a private individual single handedly provided a state of heart refinery at that location and our government agents could not look for a way to support and create a enabling environment for the residents and workers in the area. All they are after is how to disrupt the system and make money off it.

“Alhaji Aliko is building roads in the area, these government agents are not thinking of supporting him with additional roads-there is only one access road from Eleko, they are not thinking how they will create another exit road that will link Ore, Benin etc All they know is to talk about E-Call up because of money they want to make.

“What were they looking at when Aliko Group is setting up refinery in that area? As a proactive state agent they claim to be, why couldn’t they advise the government to acquire land that could park 10,000 trucks at a go and make a modern park out of it. It is obvious that they do not care about the progress of the refinery and even the citizens of the state, they are only after their pockets. Imagine clamping down on innocent workers by 2am and forcefully towing LOADED trucks away.

“We are not merely fighting for our business, but for our lives,” one driver lamented, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

“They have another associate -Hassan who is tormenting us in Apapa, Presently Hassan and others, especially are getting bolder and aggressively arresting tanker trucks without any reason and charging exorbitant amounts for their release.

“This illegality cannot continue; a stop must be put to it,” another PTD member quipped.

As panic and unrest grow among the nation’s petroleum transport community, the drivers have appealed to the highest levels of state and national leadership of the PTD branch of NUPENG for immediate intervention.

They insist that without swift and decisive action from Governor Sanwoolu and PTD leadership, the situation could escalate further, jeopardizing not only their livelihoods but also the nation’s fuel supply chain.

The Lagos State government is yet to issue an official response, leaving many to wonder how the crisis will be resolved.

In the meantime, the tanker drivers stand united in their call for justice and protection, determined to hold LASTMA accountable for what they describe as a brazen assault on their rights and safety.