×
  • News - South West - Lagos
  • Updated: March 29, 2023

Extortion: Lagos Commercial Drivers Protest Activities Of Touts

Extortion: Lagos Commercial Drivers Protest Activities Of To

Various commuters were left stranded on Wednesday as commercial drivers plying the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway protested the activities of touts popularly known as 'Agberos'.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the demonstration was over the continued extortion from the touts at the toll gate area of the express.

A few of the commuters who spoke with the news outlet in Ota stated that the protest brought unnecessary pain and hardship to the masses.

The demonstration disrupted economic activities around the aforementioned area as passengers were seen trekking long distances to reach their destinations.

Some of the protesters were seen with placards which read: “We are tired of Agberos extortion”, and “We can’t continue working for Agberos”, among others.

One of the commuters, Bimbo Apata, who works at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), revealed that he spent more than two hours at the bus stop waiting to board a vehicle, all to no avail.

He stated that he was left with no other alternative but to start walking to get to his workplace on time.

“The suffering was too much. People had to trek several distances because they could not get buses to their various destinations,” Apata said.

He urged the state government to urgently address the protest before it escalates and leads to the loss of innocent lives.

Another commuter who gave her name as Yemi Ajegunle said that the protest is uncalled for.

The trader at Oshodi Market who went to Abeokuta to buy goods disclosed that the driver of the bus she entered was told to drop off all the passengers when they got to the toll gate.

“We were all stranded because we can’t go back and move forward.

“Many of us, especially those without any heavy luggage started trekking to our destinations.”

She urged the authorities to make efforts to address the issue so that peace could return to the area.

One of the protesters, Sule Sanni, shared that the protest is against the activities of the officials of the Lagos State Park and Gardens, headed by Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo.

He added that the demonstration would continue until the issue of 'Agberos', extortion, and alleged maltreatment of their members is addressed by the Lagos state government.

Sanni said that they pay N10,000 to N15,000 to the union daily and it is affecting them negatively.

“Our profit margin is being eroded on a daily basis as they collected money from us at all the bus stops.”

Related Topics

Join our Telegram platform to get news update Join Now

0 Comment(s)

See this post in...

Notice

We have selected third parties to use cookies for technical purposes as specified in the Cookie Policy. Use the “Accept All” button to consent or “Customize” button to set your cookie tracking settings