Ogun Assembly bans illegal quarry tickets, orders task force deployment over extortion

The Ogun State House of Assembly has ordered an immediate halt to the issuance of illegal tickets at quarries across the state over allegations of extortion and criminal intimidation of truck drivers.

The House directed that drivers in the haulage business, including those conveying sand, gravel and granite, should pay only harmonised tickets approved by the Ministry of Finance, the Internal Revenue Service and recognised associations.

The directive followed a petition by the Union of Tipper Suppliers and Quarry Employers of Nigeria (UTSQEN), which complained of extortion, the forceful issuance of illegal tickets, double taxation and the unlawful seizure of trucks by toll collectors at quarry sites.

The decision was taken on Tuesday at a meeting of the Assembly’s joint Committee on Industry, Trade and Investments and Transportation, chaired by Hon. Oluseun Adesanya and Hon. Wasiu Ayodele, at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The Committee warned agents issuing unauthorised tickets to desist immediately and ordered the deployment of a task force to all quarry sites to enforce compliance pending the conclusion of the investigation.

It also summoned the permanent secretaries of the ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment, Transportation and Environment, as well as a senior director from the Ministry of Finance, to appear before it on Tuesday, October 20, for further investigation into the legality of tickets being issued at quarries.