A top member of theatre practitioners (name witheld) was recently returning from Lagos to her Ibadan base. About 50 kilometres to her destination, an unexpected occured. Her car succumbed to a mechanical fault; she was stuck; the day was growing old; suspicious eyes, highway vultures were watching from few metres away, noiselessly warming up for a feast.
However, luck came to the worried woman; a towing vehicle appeared, pulled over and offered service. Negotiation began. After persuasion and plea, the operator accepted N70, 000 and towed the car away from that danger zone. From that spot to Ibadan, the actress was gnashing her teeth, accusing the operator of taking advantage of her emergency to exploit her.
Towing van is a familiar feature on Nigerian roads. A car stalls in the middle of traffic, the driver steps out helplessly waving down passers-by, and before long, a towing van appears from nowhere like a knight in shining armour or perhaps, like a vulture circling a weary prey.
In bustling cities like Lagos, Ibadan, and Abuja, towing operators have become a necessary part of modern road life. When your car breaks down on, you begin to appreciate their presence. Yet, for many motorists, like the actress, that relief often turns to regret once the bill arrives.
According to Mr. Bashir Asimiyu Towolawi, a Lagos resident, towing van operators can be both a blessing and a curse. “They are sometimes a blessing when you are almost stranded in an isolated area,” he said, adding “After trying everything and even failing to get a mechanic, they become your saviour. At least they tow your vehicle out of a danger zone before social miscreants descend on you.”
Towolawi was quick to add, “some of them are not reliable; they can exploit you because of your situation or even connive with hoodlums to attack you if you refuse to pay their exorbitant fee.”
His words echo the experiences of many Nigerians who have had to negotiate under pressure, stranded between danger and desperation.
To Barrister Akinsola Ige from Ibadan, however, the issue is not so black and white. “They are neither friends nor enemies,” he said with a thoughtful smile. “Towing vehicle operators are just like other professionals — lawyers, doctors, vulcanisers, undertakers, policemen, all necessary for human and societal survival.”
He continued, “Lawyers come to your rescue when you’re in trouble, doctors treat your sickness, vulcanisers prevent you from being stranded, undertakers bury your loved ones, and policemen arrest offenders. Misfortunes are not caused by professionals; they only mitigate them.”
In essence, Barrister Ige argues that towing operators merely respond to misfortunes they didn’t create. But like every profession, there are the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Deacon Morenikeji Ajala, a church leader and long-time driver, offered a slightly philosophical view. He noted that the relationship between a stranded driver and a towing operator often depends on timing, trust, and temperament. “In life,” he said, “even help can look like exploitation when it meets you in your moment of weakness.”
Mr. Olawusi Abiodun, IdiatConcept Enterprises, a logistics operator, said towing services are friends when your car breaks down “in the middle of the road at odd hours where there’s no alternative.” However, he added quickly, “in a situation where they overcharge because of your condition, they become enemies.”
Not everyone has had direct encounters with towing operators. Alheri Olayinka, an immigration officer from Ilórin, admitted, “I’ve never had any dealings with them, so I can’t judge them.” Yet, he said he had heard enough stories to understand why opinions are divided.
The mixed sentiments point to one truth — towing vehicle service providers in Nigeria occupy a grey space between necessity and nuisance. They are a vital part of the transport ecosystem, yet the lack of proper regulation has allowed abuse and extortion to thrive.
According to a 2023 report by the Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service, over 2,000 vehicles are towed monthly within Lagos metropolis alone, and complaints about overbilling and unprofessional conduct remain common. While the state government insists on standardising towing operations through licensed agencies, many private operators still function without proper oversight.
Experts argue that better regulation, standard pricing, and public awareness are key to balancing the narrative. Towing operations, when done professionally, save lives and protect properties. But when driven by greed, they add salt to the wounds of already distressed motorists.
As one anonymous driver put it bluntly: “When your car breaks down, a towing operator is like a doctor arriving at the accident scene, you pray it’s the good kind.”
So, are they saint or satan? Perhaps they are both, a mirror of our society itself, reflecting the dual nature of human intention: capable of help and harm in equal measure.
At the end of the day, the towing operator’s van may arrive like a saviour or a shakedown, but one thing is certain, when your car gives up in the middle of nowhere, you will not forget the man behind that tow cable. Whether you call him friend or foe may depend not just on what he charges, but on what value he leaves behind.
Until the system is better structured, Nigerians will continue to ask — towing operators, are they rescuers or opportunists? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere between the two.
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