Impunity Victim Of Airport Security Tells His Story

Mr. Matthew Kwashie is a very proud taxi driver who sees himself as a professional. His hope is that sometime in the near future he would own the KIA Rio he drives now on �work and pay� basis and be able to raise enough money to look after himself and his family. Throughout his life, he has tried to play by the rules avoiding trouble and believing that if he obeys the rules there would be few impediments in his way. Two Sundays ago, he received a rude shock at the Accra International Airport where he was taught that the law is a big a*s and that cutting corners may be preferable to abiding by regulations. He had just dropped a passenger he had picked from Tema and was about to drive off after collecting the fare of GH15.000. One of the security personnel at the Airport opened the front door of his car and sat in the front passenger seat. He said �you have just reversed on to the pedestrian crossing and you know that if I arrest you the fine will be GH200.00; if you are sensible then do something.� Mr. Kwashie denied that he had reversed onto the pedestrian crossing and insisted that he had done nothing wrong. After a long argument, the security personnel demanded GH100 to drop the case. Mr. Kwashie said he did not have GH100 and offered to share the fare he had just collected with the security man. The security man insisted on taking all of the fare. At this stage Mr. Kwashie was ordered by his captor to move the car. He obeyed and moved the car round and round the airport whiles the security man was still making his demands. To resolve the matter, Mr. Kwashie suggested that they go to the Airport Police Station for a settlement and then started driving towards the Police station. The security man pounced on Mr. Kwashie and starting beating him up. Mr. Kwashie stopped the car. The Security man then called his colleagues on his mobile phone and they joined him in giving the taxi driver the beating of his life. They then forced the driver to move his taxi to their yard where they impounded it. Mr. Kwashie went to the Airport Police station to make a complaint and the immediate boss of the security chaps were invited. He told the police that a receipt for GH500.00 had already been prepared and Mr. Kwashie could only get his car back if he paid that amount. For more than a week, Mr. Kwashie has not been able to raise the GH500.00 and his taxi number GN3087-14 remains locked at the Accra Airport. How can he pay his daily sales and how can he feed himself and his family. This is the story of a victim of impunity. Who will intervene on behalf of a poor taxi driver.