Drivers mainly form the Northern Volta Cooperative Transport Society at Hohoe have expressed concern over the increasing number of passengers found carrying ‘India hemp’ popularly known as ‘wee’, using their vehicles as thoroughfare to other parts of the country.
They are, therefore, calling on the police to investigate and destroy all ‘wee’ farms in the area to save them from embarrassment and arrest of crimes they have not committed.
According to the divers, though they search luggages of their passengers before leaving the stations, those carrying the ‘wee’ usually outwit them during the search and come back to board the vehicle at their blind side.
The drivers regretted that when police or custom officers search the vehicle and find the ‘wee’ in some of the luggage, the owners, though sitting in the vehicle, would not own up.
The driver, therefore, bears the brunt of being arrested for carrying contraband goods, whilst the real owner of the ‘stuff’ goes scot frees.
Addressing a press conference at Hohoe on this negative development, the Public Revelations Officer (PRO) of the Hohoe branch of the Northern Volta Cooperative Transport Society, Mr. Seth Tsedey, attributed the development to the high unemployment situation in the country.
Mr. Tsedey said his outfit was contemplating bringing police officers to search the luggage of passengers, but they are also afraid that such an exercise could drive away the passengers, which would eventually lead to the collapse of their business.
The PRO noted that the drivers have now found themselves in a quandary without knowing what to do, even though some of their members have tried and jailed for carrying the ‘wee’ that they did not know anything about.
The drivers argued that if the ‘Indian hemp’ is found in the engine of their vehicles, the police would be justified in accusing of them of conniving with the smugglers; but in the situation when the substance is found in the luggage of the passengers, they should not be held responsible for the crime.
The drivers made reference to the airline industry, where the security agencies, instead of arresting the pilot, do thorough investigations to arrest the culprit when cocaine or any other hard drug is found on board the plane.
Mr. Tsedey, therefore, advocated for the review of the road transport rules and regulations to be in tandem with that of the airline industry.
According to them, drivers are also professionals who help in moving the sustenance of the economy on daily bases and that any outmoded laws and regulations that did not promote their activities should be scrapped.
“Drivers’ license just like a professional certificate of a university graduate remains a very important document in his or her life and if the holder of the university certificate commit a mistake in the discharge of his professional duty, I think the best thing to do is to correct or punish him as such and not to take his certificate away from him as being done to drivers.” He said.
He noted that when the road transport rules and regulations were reviewed, the renewal of drivers’ license should stop and be replaced with punishments and reward systems, which would reduce the issue of high corrupt practices in the issuance of drivers, license.
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