Again, Akintoba residents cry out over police extortion

IF a delicacy tastes sweet, there is no crime in returning to have a taste of it again and again. This is possibly the reason some policemen in Oyo State have refused to let residents and commuters that ply the road at Akintoba Street, directly behind the Agbowo Shopping Complex, Agbowo, have rest each time the men in black mount their roadblocks to extort money from their victims.It will be recalled that Community News caught a mobile policeman in the act, collecting some naira notes from a driver of a bus on the road which was published recently with story of complaints from residents of the area.As of Wednesday March 8, a new set of stern-looking armed regular policemen resumed at the route not mounting surveillance but harassing motorists and collecting money from them thereby causing artificial gridlock.One of the residents, Mr. Joshua Olola, who spoke with Community News, said they were fed up with the Nigerian law enforcement agents, especially the police.We are fed up with our policemen and their superiors. Was it not some few weeks ago that they were told not to mount toll gate here again and now they are back, collecting N20 and harassing motorists all around Dont they pay them salary Olola querried.Another regular user of the road, Dr. Kola Olowosebikan, a lecturer in the University of Ibadan, wondered what would have made the policemen to return to the spot. He linked it to the recent redeployment of the Commissioner of Police, Baba Bolanta, who had a zero tolerance for extortion, from Oyo State,Maybe the new CP is still settling down that is why he has not rolled out his dos and donts to his men. He should know that his men are performing illegal duties on our roads and put a stop it. He must particularly stop the show of shame by our policemen especially at Akintoba Street in Agbowo who milk money out of commuters in broad daylight, the university don stated.When Community News visited the spot, it was observed that the policemen now resume work there between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. everyday harassing commercial bus drivers with their guns in a bid to collect N20.
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