The protesting Keke operators
BY SUNNY A. DAVID / AWKA
Businessman activities in Awka, Anambra State capital, were disturbed when on Wednesday, when many operators of commercial tricycles, known as Keke took over the streets in protest over what they claimed was the forceful extortion by agents of the state government.
They particularly complained that millions of naira are forcefully taken from their members on daily basis by some thugs, who parade themselves as government officials.
Describing the activities of the agents as daylight robbery, the irate protesters, who trooped to the Anambra State Ministry of Transport and state Command of the Nigerian Police, both in Amawbia, chanting war songs, vowed never to allow their members be extorted in that manner.
The agitation was reportedly sparked off when some of their members, were allegedly attacked by the said agents for refusing to part with any further payment, leading to some injuries.
Some of the protesters, explained that instead of the N300 approved by the government, the hoodlums, usually demanded for N2,000, more than 700 per cent of the approved rate, adding that while they continued to struggle daily, under excruciating conditions, and low daily incomes, the thugs smiled to the banks after collecting their daily takings.
Mr. Wilfred Ezike, Acting Chairman of the state chapter of Amalgamated Tricycle Union Anambra State: “Our members are being ripped off by fraudsters who claim to be government revenue agents.
“They collect N300 pit levy, N100.00 for evening operations (Uwamgbede), N300.00 for the use of ticket markers, Egenti levy of N100.00, N200.00 union levy and N1, 000 agency fee every day and that brings us to N2, 000 every day.
“We have over 5,000 members across Onitsha North, Onitsha South and Idemili North Local Government Area and this amount is being collected from them on daily bases and we are not happy about that. We had a clash with them when they attacked us and so many of our members were injured. Two of them are now in the hospital.
Ezike noted that the official levy by the state government used to be N200 but was later reviewed to N300 daily. “We have been paying to government and these illegal revenue agents still come to force us to pay N2, 000,” he said.
