Keke riders protest alleged harassment, extortion by police in Warri

Commercial tricycle operators, on Wednesday, marched to the head office of the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, DBIR, in protest of alleged Police harassment, extortion and illegal arrest.

In defiance, the protesters blocked one lane of the major highway to the airport, chanting solidarity songs. 

The protesters bore placards demanding answers over their plight, “License Office, tell us why our plate numbers are not registered in your system. Police are harassing us”, “Government provide us with jobs please. Police leave Keke riders alone” and “License Office, what happened to our plate numbers,” amongst others. 

The protesters alleged that the police in Warri and environs have been troubling them with illegal arrest and extortion of ten thousand, N10,000, daily. 

They warned that if the matter is not handled amicably by the relevant government agencies, it could snowball into a major crisis.

One of the commercial tricycle operators who claimed to be from the Eyekpimi family of Okere-Urhobo community said if the Police are looking for “illegal officers,” they should go and arrest those working at DBIR’s office. 

He said they should not come to the road and illegally arrest Keke riders who are only fending for themselves and their families. 

He noted that the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, may not be aware of the development in Warri, drawing his attention to the matter.

” Governor, the police in Warri are harassing us. Area Command, Ekpan,”B” Division and all of them.”

Eyekpimi said our number plates have been registered by the licensing office. “Do we have machines to print illegal plate numbers? If Police are looking for illegal officers wey dey do number plates, they should go and arrest them in licensing office. Nor be road them go come arrest us.

“We are out to put an end to illegal arrest and daily extortion of ten thousand(N10,000) by the Policemen in Warri and environs. 

Another tricycle operator, Jeffery Awhe Akioja, who raised the same concerns, said “the Police are troubling us, there are other illegal illegal development fees that we pay on the road daily.

Noting recent events, he said, “They came with basket, waste bin, we conquered that one. They came tapouline and that we should not use black to paint our Keke, we conquered that one. 

“As we managed to balance the Keke we carried on hire purchase for between 8-9million naira. We are still managing it because there’s no job in the Country and State.”

According to Akioja, “If they hold your Keke, you will pay N10,000. If you don’t have it, they arrest you to the Police station whereas it is the State Government that registers plate numbers for us and not we ourselves.

“Today, we decided to protest to licensing office because of Police harassment, illegal arrest and extortion. “B” Division don’t want to allow us rest. Mopolo base, Ogunu, Enerhen, all of them. Enough is enough. 

Another protester, Wisdom Omoteh, narrating his ordeal in the hands of Police, Omoteh said,”Police from Enerhen Division held me, they checked my particulars and it was correct, they said paper nor dey for number plate.”

He also said, “if they’re looking for who committed offence, it is not we riders that committed the offence. They should go and arrest them at the licensing office.