Brave Dickson
Commercial bus and taxi drivers in Rivers State have called on the Rivers State Police Command to dismiss from service the police officers deployed to the Mile Three axis of Ikwerre road, Port Harcourt over illegalities.
The drivers under the aegis of Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria, Rivers State chapter described the police personnel operating along the Mile Three Road as most corrupt, adding that their stock in trade is nothing order than extorting money from commercial drivers.
According to the State Chairman of the Association, Mr Leekia Isaac, the police have made the stopping of commercial vehicles at designated bus-stops an offence.
The chairman said, “we don’t know where to park again as the police have turned all approved bus-stops into an offence.
“Police deployed to the Mile Three Road are looking for every illegal means to extort money from commercial drivers. It is worrisome because this has gone out of hand.
“The only way to stop this corrupt practice by Mile Three police personnel is to dismiss them from service.”
The Association also accused the state leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers NURTW of enriching themselves at the detriment of drivers.
Mr Isaac said, N100 is written on the daily ticket they pay every day whereas NURTW collects N300 from them.
“The worst of it is that if a driver did not work on a particular day, NURTW will still force him to pay such ticket which is absolutely illegal”, he said.
Efforts to get the state police authority to react to the allegations proved unsuccessful as the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omoni did not pick his calls.
The Mile Three axis of Ikwerre Road has been characterized by incessant disagreement between commercial drivers and the police over collection of illegal money from drivers.
Recently, it was estimated by observers that the police officers on Mile Three Road go home with over N30, 000 each day from illegal extortion of money from commercial drivers on trump up charges.
