Protest Rocks Onitsha Over Police Intimidation, Extortion And Harassment, Spends Over N2,000 Daily On Police Excluding Levies

Odogwuemekaodogwu.com reports that there is ongoing tension in Onitsha now between the Nigerian Police and the members of the Keke-Napep Union. Over one thousand Keke Napep operators staged a protest. 

 Already odogwuemekaodogwu.com reports that commercial activities are grounded in Onitsha, the commercial nerve centre of Anambra State following the molestation and unwarranted arrest of the tricycle operators otherwise known as keke Napep by the Nigerian Police in the area.

The tricycle operators who dressed on black and black blocked the popular Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS) junction Onitsha, as they protest through Awka road, savoy and latter headed to Onitsha South Local Government Headquarters, causing heavy gridlock.

Odogwuemekaodogwu.com informs that they carried placards of various inscriptions which included: “Police stop molesting us, we are innocent citizens”, “CP Gwari, where are you, Keke people are Nigerian citizens, “We need our human rights now, “may God deliver Onitsha police”, let Onitsha police be overhauled” among others.

The protest which was attended by over 1, 000 keke operators from the state in collaboration with the Campaign for Democracy (CD) South East zone was aimed at drwing the attention of the State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano to wade into the matter.

 Speaking to newsmen, the Chairman, keke Drivers Association, Mr. Simon Uchenna said they have suffered grave injustice and intimidation in the hands of police, especially DCOs of Central Police Station, Onitsha, Fegge, Okpoko, Inland Town and Awada, adding that an average keke operator spends over N2, 000 on police in addition to the multiple taxation in the state as more revenue windows were created for IGR.

 According to him, “we pay for environment, we pay for IGR, we pay to Local Government, we pay ticket to the so called youths and most annoying is that many of us drive the keke on hire purchase. I wonder how they want us to survive”.

The Public Relations Officer of the group, Mr. Chukwuka Dibie and State Vice Chairman of Association of Tricycle Operators Owners and Dealers of Anambra State (ATODAS), Mr. Nwadiogbu Dubem in their separate speeches, lamented that they are being given tickets that belong to okada people and appealed to Governor Willie Obiano to intervene in the matter by calling the authorities to order.

On his part, the South East Chairman of Campaign for Democracy, Dede Uzor A. Uzor blamed Nigerian Police for clamping down on the keke operators which he described as an infringement on people’s rights.

“They arrest these people on daily basis which is a crime against humanity. Let the authorities investigate this high rate of crime”, he said.

   When contacted, the Police Public Relations Office, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka described their allegations against police as baseless, saying that no Keke Operator has reported any police officer for corruption or molestation, stressing that anybody who commits crime will be arrested by the police.