Operators of tricycle within Etinan Local Government Area and its environ have condemned vehemently the rate of extortion on them by men of the Nigeria Police and Task Force.
The outcry, which came through a peaceful protest at the entrance of Inspiration FM radio station, Uyo, on Tuesday, was accompanied with various inscriptions on placards that read: “Governor Udom Emmanuel Come to Our Aid against the Touts in Etinan,” “IGP, Please Save Us From Touts In Akwa Ibom State,” “The Police In Etinan Had Been Compromised By The Touts In Etinan,” “We Cannot Bear This Lawlessness By Unlawful Seizure Of Our Keke Tricycle” and “We Need The SSS To Stop Touting In Akwa Ibom State.”
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Mr. Samuel Sunday, one of the Tricycle operators, said they were tired of the incessant extortion by the alleged Task Force and men of the Nigeria Police.
In his words: “The reason for this protest is that some of us stay in Etinan and we also ply the Etinan – Ekom Iman Road and Uyo. We do this so as to be able to pick our bills but some people in Etinan Motor Park, who called themselves Task Force, have constantly been harassing us and our passengers. They do this through the collaboration of men of the Nigeria Police in the area. They extort money from us daily and whenever we try to resist payment, they seized our Keke Tricycle or motorcycle. As we speak, we have over five our Keke Tricycle seized and taken to the Etinan Divisional Police Station.”
“How long shall we continue in this? Some of us are family men, some are students and this is our only source of income. But when they extort so much from us to the extent of seizing and taking our source of livelihood to the police station, how do they expect us to survive? The daily ticket of N200 that we buy from the Akwa Ibom State Government through the Ministry of Transport was to enable us operate in the state. The new ticketing by Etinan Local Government Council is what we don’t understand and that is why we are here to seek help from the Ministry of Transport and other appropriate authorities. We are sick and tired of the incessant embarrassment and robbery by these men. We are really worried because they have neither recognized uniform nor any means of identification. Some of us are riding the Tricycle on hired purchase yet these people demand as high as N10,000 from us,” he lamented.
Speaking, the Director-General of a frontline human rights advocacy organization, Centre for International Integrity, Peace and Development in Nigeria (CIIPAD), Dr Ime Stephen, called for collaboration and synergy with security agencies in the fight against abuse, lawlessness and touting.
“We call on the State Commissioner of Police and the Director of SSS to work with us to fight illicit activities in the Akwa Ibom State. We have cases of rape, robbery and all that in the name of touts,” he maintained.
“We have been having incessant complaints of unlawful seizure from these operators at our administrative office in Nyadion and some time they come with deep cuts and blood and we wondered why task force should be using excessive force and weapons on Tricycle operators. I am a victim of this attack. I was robbed by men who called themselves Task Force at Ekpatakwa but for the timely intervention of the then Commissioner of Police, CP Murtala Mani.”
“We want government and Inspector General of Police to understand and know what the Etinan police are doing. We have also reported this matter to the State Security Services (SSS). Yesterday, we were able to apprehend four of these touts and one was taken to the Etinan Police Station and he was discharged immediately. The ones taken to the SSS were detained and are being interrogated. We feel the Etinan DPO, one Mr. Bayo, has compromised because we see no reason why he has been collaborating with these hoodlums,” the Director General stressed.
