Travellers on the Asaba/Onitsha expressway have condemned alleged extortion of motorists by security operatives.
DAILY POST correspondent, who travelled on the road during the week, reports that the activities of security men and their alleged extortion of money from drivers caused traffic gridlock on the road by the Onitsha head bridge.
One of the passengers was evidently peeved by the waste of time of drivers and passengers allegedly as a result of the security men carrying out checks on vehicles.
Some of the drivers, who spoke to DAILY POST, alleged that the extortion of motorists by the security men was a daily routine on the road and that they carry out the act with impunity.
While lamenting the situation, the drivers said the extortion has led to an increase in fares and road accidents on the road as most drivers, in an attempt to escape the snare of the officers, risk the lives of innocent travellers.
The respondents, who didn’t want their names in print for fear of the unknown, said they have suffered untold extortion from the policemen especially during night fall.
But one of them, Paul Osuji, who spoke to DAILY POST, said: “Every day, the policemen on the road collect N100 from each of us. If we drive through six times, we will pay N600. The act is becoming too unbecoming, we want the Police Commissioner to look into it”.
For heavy trucks, investigation revealed that the policemen allegedly collect between N200 and N250, while in most cases they subject drivers who refused to comply to hard punishment for several minutes before they are let off the hook.
Some of the motorists, including passengers, have however vowed to petition President Muhammadu Buhari, and the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to come to their aid, especially with the increasing manner of the alleged extortion.
But Delta State Police Commissioner, Mustafa Mohammad, in a swift reaction, told DAILY POST, “We are investigating the allegation, any of our policeman found wanting would be dismissed.
“The investigations are ongoing upon protests, and petitions we have received. No policeman is allowed to extort money from motorists,” he asserted.
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