Abia State government has given its Imo counterpart till tomorrow to let Abia Transport Company be, after the Imo government ejected the company from its park in Owerri, or face a similar fate.
Abia State government has threatened to also eject Imo Transport Company from the state, if its Imo counterpart failed to accede to its appeal by today.
Abia governnment said the threat became necessary because of alleged refusal of Imo government to heed to its previous appeals to give Abia Line a place to operate in Owerri.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Theodore Orji, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezue, the state government said it did not believe the reason given by its Imo counterpart for the ejection, saying other transport companies were still operating from the same park.
Emezue highlighted the difficulty caused by the closure, saying, since Abia Lines’ loading bay in Owerri was shut down, Abians were finding it very difficult to return home.
According to him, all efforts by Abia Lines to get another loading bay in the Imo State capital had allegedly been frustrated by the state government officials.
“Interestingly, Peace Mass Transit which also operates within the same neighboourhood with Abia Lines is yet to be ejected, as Imo government is claiming that the ejection order was based on its plan to reclaim the master plan of the capital city of Owerri,” Emezue said.
“If by Tuesday Abia Line is not returned to its loading bay, Abia State government will also begin the restoration of the master plan of Aba and Umuahia, which will affect Imo Transport loading bays in the affected areas.”
Emezue therefore called on human right activists, social crusaders and all well meaning Nigerians to condemn the hostile action of Imo State government, adding that now was the right time for the activists to act and not wait to criticise Abia government’s retaliatory measures.
