Posted by By Albert Akpor, Evelyn Usman & Innocent Anaba on
MOTOR park touts, who were displaced from Lagos roads two weeks ago by military men, returned yesterday with fury vandalising vehicles and harassing commuters. Their violence claimed two lives including a bus conductor, who resisted their demand for money.
*Commuters stranded, drivers tell touts to quit
LAGOS - MOTOR park touts, who were displaced from Lagos roads two weeks ago by military men, returned yesterday with fury vandalising vehicles and harassing commuters. Their violence claimed two lives including a bus conductor, who resisted their demand for money.
As the news of the killings spread, bus drivers in many parts of the state launched a massive protest round major roads. They called for the immediate withdrawal of the touts from the roads.
Commuters in their hundreds were left stranded at bus stops and many had to walk long distances to reach their destinations. Many people could not make it to work.
At ‘Mile 2,' Ijesha Bus Stop, Cele Bus Stop and Oshodi, the situation was particularly tense as the touts blocked major roads vandalising vehicles and chasing away commercial bus drivers who dared to flout their orders.
Some of the commuter drivers who spoke anonymously said they were ready to remain indoors for as long as necessary unless touts were kept off the roads. 'We will not allow them to come back again and start collecting money from us as if we are working for them. After the Oshodi wahala, we were happy that these people will not come back again but this morning (yesterday) we were surprised as they all came out at almost all the bus stops ordering us to pay them the compulsory fees and we are saying no way, we cannot continue like this," one of the drivers lamented.
At about 1 O'clock yesterday commercial drivers numbering over 50 stormed Vanguard Newspapers Corporate Headquarters in Apapa, Lagos to register their protest over the return of the area boys to motor-parks in Lagos.
Their spokesman, Mr. Darlington Nwosu said, 'we don't want touts on the roads and motor-parks again. This morning (yesterday) when we got to Mile 2, we were made to pay N280 each per bus and on getting to Wharf, the touts there started making another demands for payment. We protested and before we knew what was happening, they mobilised and started attacking us with dangerous weapons. They killed one conductor in the process.
'At each of the major bus stops, we pay nothing less than N250 and in others we also pay upwards of N400 to N500. This is apart from other payments we make to other touts at our respective motor-parks every morning. They force us to pay levies under many names. We have been appealing to the state government to do something about this ugly trend but each time they promise to check their activities and at the end of the day, they will not do anything."
The State Police boss, Mr. Adewale Ajakaiye, who was contacted said the situation has been brought under control but could not confirm whether there were casualties or not. 'All the Area Commands are still collating what they have and we cannot now tell you the number of those arrested now until they are ready."