In his film, Lagos Road, Joel Edeh Samuel draws attention to the growing menace that is the Agbero (street thugs or touts) on Lagos roads.
The first fifteen minutes of the film is a satirical exposition of the Lagos Transport system, focusing on the various modes of transportation in the city. It takes audience on an exciting ride along from BRT buses, Molues (already phased out), ferries, trains, to Lorries and trucks, cataloguing their history and characteristics. Then, it gets to the Danfo Buses and here the narrative expands beyond the detailed descriptions of its internal characteristics to external influences – including the buses exchanges with Lagos agbero. The next 15 minutes holds narrations by danfo and tricycle drivers relaying their plight in the hands of agbero.
From the increasing payments at all bus stop demanded by the agberos who claim to work with the Lagos Police authority, to their often skirmishes with bus conductors (bus fare collectors) they constitute a nuisance to public transport drivers.
“The money the agbero charge are too high. How do you expect drivers to survive, when some of us our cars are on higher purchase and they are yet to finish payment on them? I wonder, “Who they are giving the money to? Who is benefiting from it? The earlier we start talking about this the better otherwise this will get worse,” lamented an anonymous driver. (Leadership)
