Sodiq Oyeleke
Commercial drivers on Wednesday
protested against alleged extortion by
officials of the Lagos State task
force.
The protest left many passengers
stranded along the Agege-Ogba-
Berger axis of Lagos.
As of 12.14 pm, gridlock had begun
to pile up along the route with many
passengers trekking long distances.
Some of the drivers held weapons in
a bid to resist further arrests.
They also attacked their colleagues
who attempted to convey passengers
and dislodge others.
The protesters barricaded the road at
the popular Omole junction.
One of the drivers, David, told our
correspondent that he was made to
pay N20, 000 by the task force
officials.
“I was in the park when they arrested
me. I was buying sachet water and I
suddenly found some of them (task
force officials) in my vehicle. I asked
them what my offence was but they
only said I have been arrested. I
eventually paid N20,000 before I was
freed,” he added.


Another protester lamented that some
task force officials were making it
difficult for them to recoup their
investment in the transportation
business.
He said, “They said we should not
drive Okada (motorcycle) again, we
bought Keke Napep (tricycle). They
banned that again and we bought
minibusses. They still collect money
from us as if we are operating
illegally. We are tired of being treated
like criminals. We cannot continue to
pay illegal fees again. Anytime they
stop you, they start to demand
N20,000. This is unfair.”
When contacted on the telephone,
the spokesman for the Lagos State
Task Force, Mr Taofeek Adebayo,
denied the allegation that the
commercial drivers were being
extorted.
He said, “The fact remains that their
protest will not stop the agency from
carrying out its statutory functions in
enforcing the Lagos State Transport
Reform.

https://punchng.com/breaking-passengers-stranded-as-commercial-drivers-protest-in-lagos/

Wahala be like lagos task force...