Tricycle Operators avoid route over Police extortion.
Most tricycle Operators in Asaba, the Delta state capital now avoid plying A Divisional Police station/Area Command route between the hours of 5:30-6:15am, over an incessant police extortion along the route.
Some tricycle Operators who spoke on anonymity said they decided to avoid the route between that hours, because to them it’s a wasted effort collecting the sum of N100/N150 from passenger, and end up giving it to the officers who on daily basis stand along the road to extort drivers.
A police source revealed that the state commissioner of police, Mr. Wale Abbas has sometime ago summon the A Divisional Police Officer, and ordered him to ensure the extortion was put to an end, but the officers resurfaced days later around the same area.
Though, the Divisional Police Officer according to the source, denied knowledge of the extortion and went ahead tocaution the men to halt such practice, but it has continued.
Over three months investigations by our Reporter revealed that the officers usually commence operation at about 5:30am, and end 6:30am on daily basis.
It would be recalled that in Lagos State few months ago, three police officers, operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and those of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASEMA) were arrested for alleged extortion in the state.
Accounting to the report Benjamin Hundeyin, Lagos police spokesperson, said the suspects were arrested around the Mile 2 area of the state between Friday and Saturday alongside 14 thugs.
Hundeyin said the arrests were carried out during an operation led by Fatai Tijani, the deputy commissioner of police (operations) in the state.
Cyclists expect the same thing to happen in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
However when text message was sent to Delta state police public relations officer, Bright Edafe, to know why the check point was still in place at the Delta State capital after the Police Commissioner had warned the DPO in charge of the area, he did not respond as at the time of this report.