By Chimaobi Nwaiwu
NNEWI—Tricycle operators in Onitsha and its environs have decried what they described as “high-level extortion” and intimidation by revenue collectors and park operators across Anambra State.
Operating under the aegis of the Anambra Keke Drivers Forum (AKDF), the operators called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to intervene and rescue them from alleged harassment, assault, and life-threatening attacks by touts claiming to work for government agents.
Speaking to journalists in Onitsha, the group’s Coordinator, Ugochukwu Adiele, said the situation had become unbearable, noting that tricycle riders were daily subjected to illegal levies and violent treatment.
According to Adiele, the extortion is rampant at Obodoukwu Road, Atani Road, Onuora Street, Ndida Well, Savoy Junction, New and Old Market Roads, Bida Road, Otumoye Junction, and Nkwelle Junction, among others.
He accused park operators at the Ogbo Tomato Food and Vegetable Market near Power Mike Stadium, Okpoko, in Ogbaru Local Government Area, of running a reign of terror against tricycle operators.
“A particular park operator at Ogbo Tomato uses his thugs to constantly beat, injure, and extort money from us. You dare not question him. Anyone who resists payment is assaulted,” Adiele alleged.
He explained that each tricycle operator officially pays ₦2,000 weekly to the state government and ₦200 per park, but touts exploit the situation to extort between ₦500 and ₦2,000 daily without receipts.
“Failure to comply attracts threats and physical assault from these thugs who claim to work for park management. Over 24 of our members have suffered serious injuries,” Adiele added.
He further lamented that illegal revenue points and pits had been established at several road junctions without government approval.
“Our daily income can no longer sustain us. Apart from the ₦2,000 weekly payment to the state government, we are forced to pay up to ₦4,000 daily to these illegal collectors. Many of us are now afraid to operate,” he said.
Another operator, Uche Linus, recounted how he was beaten and chased away from a government-designated park.
“They forced us out of the park and asked us to operate from a swampy area where even vehicles can’t function. About 90% of what we earn daily is taken from us,” he said.
When approached for comment, a park operator in the Ogbo Tomato area told Vanguard that his business was private and not different from what happens elsewhere in the country.
“This is my private business, and I have the right to run it the way I want. Any tricycle operator not comfortable should leave,” he said.
Efforts to reach the State Commissioner for Transportation, Patricia Igwebuike, were unsuccessful as calls and messages to her mobile line went unanswered.
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