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Lagos Community Kicks As Policemen Collect N20,000 Bribes To Allow Commercial Motorcyclists Ply Roads 

Lagos Community Kicks As Policemen Collect N20,000 Bribes To Allow Commercial Motorcyclists Ply Roads 
May 8, 2024

Other police officers identified from the Tolu Station are; Garuba, Dada, Blessings, Olowo, Adaa, Agbaa, Kenny, and Sir Joe. 

Some personnel of the Nigeria Police Force attached to Trinity and Tolu stations in Ajeromi Ifelodun and Olodi Apapa in the Ajeromi local government area of Lagos State are currently charging N20,000 from commercial motorcyclists, locally known as "okada riders" before they can operate in the community, 

A source from the community revealed this to SaharaReporters, saying the community residents are angry about the daily extortion, while identifying two of the policemen as Aminu and Adama from the Trinity station.

Other police officers identified from the Tolu Station are; Garuba, Dada, Blessings, Olowo, Adaa, Agbaa, Kenny, and Sir Joe. 

The source said that the policemen are taking advantage of the state government’s order which banned movement of bikes on the expressway but allowed it within the community roads. 

He stated further that the police had made it a mandate for all commercial bikes to pay N20,000 bribes which they normally tagged as "money for registration" from all the Okada riders. 

“After collecting N20,000 as registration, the Okada rider must still pay N5,000 as weekly due to these police officers. If not, they would not be allowed to work and their bike would be seized,” the source told SaharaReporters.

One of the community leaders mentioned that because of the extortion, the bike riders always charged residents exorbitant fees to make up for the bribes they are paying to the police every week. 

The Lagos State government had enacted the Traffic Law 2012 prohibits the operations of okada and tricycles, also known as Keke Marwa, from operating in certain routes and areas across the state.

Meanwhile, the law only restricted motorcycles or tricycles with engine capacities below 200cc from operating on major expressways and highways. It also stipulated that motorcycles used for mail distribution or courier services should have a minimum engine capacity of 200cc.

Also, in 2018, the state established the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law 2018 (the “Law”) which came into effect on the 26th of February 2018.

Section 46 (1) of the Law stipulates that ‘no person shall ride, drive or propel a motorcycle or tricycle on a major highway within the state, and any person in contravention of this provision commits an offence liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of three (3) years with such motorcycle or tricycle forfeited to the State."

 

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Police