Lagos Okada riders accuse policemen of extortion

Some commercial motorcyclists have accused men of the Lagos State Police Command of extortion.

They also claimed that the policemen attached to the Afonka Police Station, Shasha and Moshalashi Police Station along Ayobo Road in the Alimosho Local Government Area of the state were also fond of impounding their motorcycles despite not plying the routes prohibited by the state government.

One of the Okada riders, Ibrahim Anwalu, who operates around Tastee Chicken at Oke Street and Pako along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway Junction, told our correspondent that he had been extorted many times when he did not operate on the main road.

“Once it is 7pm, policemen from Afonka with their patrol van would enter the streets. They would be looking for Okada riders to extort despite that we are not plying prohibited routes,” he said.

Another motorcyclist, Christain Asuquo, said, “I have been a victim of these policemen. They collected N2,000 from a friend who does okada business like me last week. But one place that they always come to is Oke Street, near the road. They also raid Okada people on their bikes at Pako Junction.

“My bike was taken around the Grand Joy Hotel in the streets when they stopped me last week. We operate on the street and not on the main road. The policemen are making it hard for us to make a living.”

Another motorcyclist, Samuel Okpadu, also corroborated his colleagues’ claims.

Source : The Punch

Richard Koomson| mediacentralonline.info |Ghana
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