LEGAL WAR LOOMS OVER A.B.C. TRANSPORT, AS BLUECHIP IS ACCUSED OF ENDANGERING LIVES

LEGAL WAR LOOMS OVER A.B.C.  TRANSPORT, AS  BLUECHIP  

IS ACCUSED OF ENDANGERING LIVES

BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU.

A.B.C MOTORS IS IN BEEN TAKEN TO TASK AS AT PRESS TIME

A.B.C . Transport Nigeria Plc may have to prepare soon for a long time in the court rooms in Nigeria as some customers have declared that they will sue the living daylights out of the company.

In an exclusive investigations on the matter by Paedia Express Multimedia in Lagos, Nigeria, an impeccable source who was a victim of a robbery incident while traveling to Abuja,the nations capital on the 15^th of September,2014  lashed out at the firm for been insensitive despite putting her and other passengers at risk.

She revealed to this reporter in a  blow-by-blow version ,  how she and other travelers  were short changed as they embarked on a recent trip to Abuja exclusively.

She speaks:”it was last Monday,15^th September,2014 that the incident happened  and I recall that we were about 16 of us who were traveling for a summit to take place in Abuja the following day”

“we had gone to pay at least N6,000 for  the sleeper bus or first class of A.B.C Transport and we were duly informed that the bus will be departing by 5:00p.m. in the evening on that day”

“rather unfortunately by the time we came to enter the bus ,our spaces had been sold out to other customers who were most likely richer and more influential “

“we were not happy about this and we kept putting pressure on them to do something about our situation at there Jibowu office in Lagos”

“So around 11:00 same day,they brought a rickety looking bus ,this was a far cry to what we actually paid for ,a man who was seated in the bus told us not to return to Abuja by the same bus as it delayed his trip to Lagos very badly”

“when we discovered that if we did not use that bus at all we may not be able to make our trip in time ,we then decided to use reluctantly but this was our greatest undoing”

“in the bus they gave us a sum of N200 each  and a plate of rice was also served to each individual ,we discovered  that the bus to our chagrin was moving at a very snail speed and to now cap it up the driver  and the bus attendant did not know the proper routes to Abuja as it was the passengers that were directing them”

“somewhere around Okene in Kogi state,our vehicle broke down and it took the intervention  of one of the passengers before we could get it back to life ,the driver and his assistant  did  not know  how to repair anything in the vehicle “

“Sometimes around seven o clock a.m. in the morning ,still within the Okene axis  we were attacked by armed robbers ,they did not block the road”

“They were coming out of the bush with cutlasses ,machetes and heavy guns with lots of ammunitions, they started to shoot and the wind screen of our bus was shattered in the process and I saw at close quarters not less than 15 armed bandits at the scene”

“the armed robbers  took all of our personal effects such as wallets ,mobile phone handsets ,cloths among others ,they asked us to lie down on the ground”

She explained in an agonizing tone how they feared the  worst could happen to them as gun shots  rang around them in all directions from the irate bandits despite motorist passing the scene of the crime at top speed.

She pointed out that at this stage ,most of the passengers took to there heels as they started to run for there lives  but after what seems like an eternity they started to hear voice of Samaritans who have come to their rescue but by then the robbers had gone into thin air.

The source disclosed that they then headed to Lokoja in Kogi state from where they had to borrow money from other Samaritans  and changed buses from the original one that was to take them to Abuja to a new one in Lokoja because of their harrowing experience.

She added that by the time  they got to Abuja ,most of them had to resort to begging friends and other extended family members for survival; as they did not have anything on them again and it took the intervention of one of her relatives who gave her a shelter with her friends and a sum of N25,000 that bailed them temporarily from an embarrassing situation.

In a phone interview with a source at A.B.C.Motors ,the source said that who ever complained to Paedia Express Multimedia has not interfaced sufficiently with there company to be able to establish what they will do  and not do.

He accused the traveler that complained to the reporter of been over zealous, insisting that her action was targeted at smearing the good name of his company.

He later got in touch as at press time to advise Paedia Express Multimedia top get in touch with the office of the Head Legal Division of A.B.C. Transport in Owerri for further information on the matter as the issue was getting a lot of attention at the highest level in the company as at press time.

Associated Bus Company, known as ABC Transport Plc, the only transport company quoted on the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) has released its audited results for the year ended December 31, 2013, recording a growth of 2.03 percent in turnover over the 2012 result.
Turnover increased from N6.5b in 2012 to N6.64b in 2013, representing an increase of 2.03 percent while Gross profit declined slightly by 7.24 percent from N1.77b recorded in 2012 to N1.64b in 2013. Profit before tax, however, grew by 0.49 percent from N566.01m in 2012 to N568.80m in 2013, while profit after tax declined by 2.15 percent from N362.89 m in 2012 to N355.08 m in 2013.
During the forthcoming annual general meeting,  the Directors shall propose at the forthcoming a dividend of 6 kobo per ordinary share of 50 kobo each for the year ended December 31, 2013.