Commercial bus operators, motorcyclists lament police extortion

COMMERCIAL bus operators andmotorcylists popularly called 'okada' plying the University of Ibadan, Agbowo road in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State, have lamented the continued extortion by men of the Oyo State Police Command.Also, artisans in Agbowo, Jakan, Ajao and Aduloju along Iwo ' Ojo road have also condemned the raid being carried out by the policemen.Some of the commercial operators who spoke with Community News in Ibadan, said there was no day they would not give money to the police.Recently, one of the policemen, dressed in mufti, had approached a motorcyclist at the Agbowo Bus Stop and demanded for his papers.In his response, the motorcyclist told the policeman that he could not identify him because he was not in uniform.'Well, if you don't know me, I am an Inspector or do you think every policeman must be in uniform,' he replied the motorcyclist. He tried to bring out his identity card.Community News gathered that apart from the two uniformed policemen, there were about three other policemen in mufti whose activities were to extort money from unsuspecting motorcyclists and commercial bus operators.After a prolonged appeals by the motorcyclist and his passenger, the policeman did not mince words when he asked him (the motorcyclist) to bring N500 or have his motorcycle taken to Kajorepo Police Station.After a hot argument and threat by the police inspector, he took N100 from the motorcyclist.'I am a graduate, do you think I only have my certificate to come and sit down here,' the police inspector hadboasted.Also Community News gathered that some policemen from the Testing Ground Divisional Police Station were in the habit of raiding artisans in their shops.Operating in a commercial bus and dressed in mufti, the policemen would just signal to one of the artisans to inform his boss that they were policemen and that he should bring money inside the vehicle.Some of the artisans called on state Commissioner of Police, Mr Moses Onireti, to intervene and save them from the policemen.When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Olabisi Okuwobi, noted that it was not proper for policemen to operate in mufti.She said that the new leadership of the service was making efforts towards making the police people friendly.
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