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Tricycle Operators protest LASTMA allege extortion

Published

6 years ago

June 28, 2018

Olu Emmanuel

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By Lanre Adesanya

The Tricycle Operators Association along Berger/Ogba road axis of Lagos State today besiege the Lagos House in protest of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) extortion and indiscriminate arrest of their members.

The protesters holding a conspicuous banner, “Tricycle Operators Berger Igba Rd. Let us do it again Ambode 4 2nd Term Lagos State Government please help us ooo LASTMA is killing us ooo at Berger. E. G Beckley, Amure, Okin.

Scores of frustrated operators blocked the entrance of the gate leading to the governor’s office,wielding placards with inscriptions citing their grievance.

“Ambode Build Lagos State But LASTMA @ Ojodu Berger wanted to destroy your mission stop! Itesiwaju Eko lojewalogun.

“No more Sango & Lawal &Okin Ten years in Berger.

“No more arrest of 30 Keke in a day, 15keke in a day.

Hakibu Adebeso a unit chairman from Ojodu Berger tricycle operators who led the protesters, noted that, ” we are here to lodge complaint about LASTMA unlawful arrest of our operators.

“They are just arresting us anyhow, collecting 7000,5700,4700,naira from victims,

we have not done anything illegal even when our operators pack after the close of work they will just go and arrest them there.

Everyday, they ticket them 70,000 and 40,000 naira they arrest 30 Keke in a day, we are more than 500 in our association.

“We had a meeting with one Mr. Beckley a LASTMA official, we told him the indiscriminate arrest is too much, but that was to no avail it informs our protest here today.

“We want government to call them to order so that this arrest will stop. We have not floated any traffic law, we cut local government ticket,N150 everyday to boost our IGR.

Bose Dagunduro one of the tricycle association chairmen in the axis noted that, “Keke operates on roads all over Lagos except the restricted areas, it is only in Ojodu/Berger where we have problem.

” Some of our members are in Kirikiri now, we want our government to curb the excesses of these people, whenever we lodge complain with the commander, he would never blame his men, rather he would blame our operators. It shows they deliver the money to the commander.

An Operator who shuttles Berger to Ogba Mr. Ebele Odili noted that they have not earmark any place for them to stop and not to. We are out to serve the passenger as they are our customers, the LASTMA men contribute 15,000 daily and for that they arrest us anyhow. Where we eat 200 naira worth of food, they will take 500 naira worth and ask us to pay. If you say you don’t have money you are the target if they don’t want us to ply the road they should tell and we will move the extortion is too much.

Kingsley Osemene a member of the association also corroborated the claims.

“While we commend the state government for the LASTMA initiative, we are against indiscriminate arrest and imprisonment, extortion of our operators.

“If you give them 200 naira they will refuse saying their money start from 1000,there are no bus stop on the road but government is constructing bus stops already, so we pack off the road yet they still come after us.

“We are on hire purchase of 1 million naira with all these problems how can we be able to pay off and have the tricycle association our own?

“They close from their daily duty and still stay behind to fleece, failure to meet their demand you become a target. Berger has turn to their daily manna centre. We work like criminals but we are not, we want government to intervene”.Osemene said.

Mr. Benjamin Olabinjo the Special Assistant to the Governor on Civic Engagement who initially calm the protesters,called the executives of the body to a meeting at his office.

“Ask your members to go, your exco should come to my office we will address the issue amicably.