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By Steve Agbota
Truckers operating in Lagos State have described 2023 as achallenging year, as they they lost over N30 billion to extortion perpetrated by maritime bandits.
They alleged that security agencies were part of the extorting gang as they patrol major roads plied by truck drivers.
According to them, over 26 people were killed by the dreaded criminals in 2023.
The angry truckers who spoke to Daily Sun said that the rampaging extortionists now see the crime as a hobby, lamenting that efforts to address the horror have failed.
They lamented that while proliferation of checkpoints and other illegal activities thrive, perpetrators are rarely brought to book.
Daily Sun learnt that despite interventions by Federal and state governments to curb corruption at the Lagos ports corridor, extortionists are still thriving in their nefarious business, as they make over N300 million from port operators daily.
About 50 checkpoints designed mainly for extortion are found at Mile 2, Sunrise, Coconut, Tincan Port second gate, Kirikiri, FATGBEMS, Badagry Express Road and inside Amuwo Odofin, Ijora Olopa, Costain etc. At these checkpoints mounted by security personnel, state and non-state actors, each truck driver parts with up to N10, 000 daily.
Speaking to Daily Sun, the National President of the Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations, COMTUA, Mr. Adeyinka Aroyewun said that truckers are losing over N30 billion to extortion annually.
He said that many letters have been written to both the federal and state governments to address the issue of extortion and killing of truck drivers and innocent people but nothing has been done as perpetrators are working freely and continue to wreak havoc along major roads in Lagos State.
However, a truck owner, Mr Dike Ekene Collins,
lamented that truckers were going through hell, while the government feigns helplessness.
“The state government has not acted in any tangible manner to nick this problem in the bud. The state government is playing pure politics. I’m telling you categorically that not even extortion point has been abolished in the past four years,” he said.
According to him, this particular Government Sanwo-Olu’s administration has decided to be adamant and unrealistically quite on this issue of extortion and hooliganism that is happening everywhere.
“I’ll say this specifically, most of the local government chairmen are involved in the racketeering. Amuwo Odofin Local Government Chairman to be specific is involved and Ori-Ade Local Government Chairman Woman is involved in this racket
“They keep on extorting truckers left, right and centre. And one way they have actually achieved this is what I called divide and rule in the unions. Today, new unions are springing up here, left ,right and centre,” he lamented.
He said truckers spent over N90,000 to extortionists to move a truck from Apapa to Agbara industrial areas, saying each truck spend nothing less than N90,000.
“I spent about N15000 to access my garage. I always say this, let them go and verify, I parked my trucks at Kirikiri. I pay N15,000 for entry and N15,000 for exist, that is N30,000. These guys are reaping a hell out of us.
“Before you move your truck from point A to point B, you must apportion a particular amount of money for these extortionists. And all truckers are paying these money. Everybody is paying it. Nobody knows who they are remitting to. You can’t question the illegality of this money. The collection of the money, it is purely illegal. We have gone buying reasonable doubt to prove it to them.
“The DSS have refused to do their work. Let me shock you, when you say truckers should come for a meeting, half of those people that will come are these people perpetuating the atrocities,” he said.
