There was commotion at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja Wednesday, when an Uber driver out of frustration and a sense of intimidation, allegedly stripped himself naked, as protest against manhandling by official taxi operators at the airport.
The operators in collaboration with a task force organised by the Federal Airports Authroity of Nigeria (FAAN) was said to have seized his vehicle for taking passengers at the airport against operating directives of the taxi union.
In a 30 second video clip seen by Daily Sun, airport task force officials were seen having a heated argument with a naked man whom the chairman of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association (ATSSSAN), Abuja chapter, Samuel Wuyep, confirms is an Uber driver.
In the video, the naked man whose name Daily Sun couldn’t confirm was seen having a heated argument with those around him and also being dragged away from the car park by plainclothes men suspected to be task force officials. A man is heard in the video alleging that the plate number belonging the driver was removed from his vehicle by the officials despite paying a fee of N3,000 the previous day.
Daily Sun spoke with Wuyep is also an airport security department to ascertain the cause of the altercation and he confirmed that the vehicle belonging to the Uber driver was impounded by the task force but that the man’s rights were not violated as he stripped naked of his own volition.
Wuyep said the airport authority regulations stipulates that only car hire companies registered with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has the right to operate within any of the airports in Nigeria. He said the uber driver seen in the video has repeatedly violated the regulations of the authority by operating within the airport which led to the impounding of his vehicle.
“ Besides being the ATSSSAN chairman, Abuja chapter, I am an aviation security operative , I work with standard and compliance division within the airport. I do not think that anybody will violate somebody else’s rights to the extent of beating and stripping the person naked in the public. The case of uber has been on for some time and there have been many violations on their part. The airport has car hires that are guided by airport regulations on how to pick and drop passengers. These particular regulations are monitored by the tax force and they are constituted by the various companies that form the car hire group in the airport.
“Now, when you drop a passenger and you are not registered with any of the car hire companies who pay concession fees to the airport, it is expected that as soon as you drop a passenger, you should drive off. These uber drivers are identified from the way they park because they do not having parking lot. They usually park to obstruct the traffic and the task force will now query them and if they cannot come up with adequate explanation, they will apprehend you. Once you are apprehended, you will be asked certain questions and if your answers contradict the laws, you will be handed over to the police and you may be arraigned in court or you may be let go.
“The man was seen loitering around in violation of the airport’s rules and regulations and his vehicle was impounded by the task force. As a result, he voluntarily stripped himself naked in retaliation. If you watch that video critically, you won’t see where anyone forced him to remove his clothes. As I speak to you, the matter is on.
“When a vehicle is impounded, you pay a minimum of N5,000 and above and a receipt would be issued to you and you would be given invoice. Normally, when such happens, the uber drivers themselves get their lawyers to come along with them. The airport authority cannot coordinate people who don’t have a base unlike the companies that are registered and there are spaces that are created for them to park,” Wuyep said.
The General Manager, Corporate Affairs of FAAN, Henrietta Yakubu, also confirmed the incident but said the man voluntarily stripped himself naked.
“This happened at the upper level location by the exit way. The chaos is between the Uber drivers themselves. The naked troublemaker escaped when he sighted AVSEC operatives approaching to arrest him,” she said.
