Truck drivers who at Lagos ports have alleged large scale extortion by officials of the Nigerian Police Force who were deplored to the Lagos Port Complex port access road to control traffic.
They also alleged that the police officers rake in about N100,000 daily from bribe that they demand from the drivers who return empty containers to the port.
Investigation also revealed that the practice is most common at the SDV terminal, at the juncture between Commercial Road connecting Creek Road, in Apapa.
Truck drivers who at Lagos ports have alleged large scale extortion by officials of the Nigerian Police Force who were deplored to the Lagos Port Complex port access road to control traffic.
They also alleged that the police officers rake in about N100,000 daily from bribe that they demand from the drivers who return empty containers to the port.
Investigation also revealed that the practice is most common at the SDV terminal, at the juncture between Commercial Road connecting Creek Road, in Apapa.
However, the truck owners have also advised the Lagos State Government to withdraw its taskforce from the access road, insisting that trucks no longer park indiscriminately on the port access roads as was commonly done about two years ago.
The truck operators also pointed accusing fingers at police officers deplored to the Lagos Port’s access road over alleged extortion from the drivers of such vehicles.
Some of them told our correspondent yesterday in Lagos that each officer on duty at one of the ‘check point’ at the SDV terminal (adjacent to Commercial Road) Apapa takes home N100,000 per day.
Investigations also revealed that trucks belonging to leaders of haulage associations are usually exempted from the extortion.
One of the sources said:," I want to appeal to the Lagos State Government to remove the taskforce on the road because they are no longer relevant on the port access road"
"Since they came onboard two years ago, they have been able to reduce some of the bottlenecks that we have as regards traffic, but today we need the government to remove them from the access road"
Speaking further on the extortion, he added: "If any of our drivers refuse to pay ,they will have no option rather than to break our glasses, just because of an offence that we did not commit"
He revealed that lifting of a container from the port attracts N45,000 as charges but the police officers are bent on extorting the drivers of the truck.
He further urged the state government to have a rethink on the attitude of the taskforce and the police because according to him, life has been miserable to some of the truckers.
Also speaking on the issue, a driver who identified himself to our correspondent as Nojeem Karimu, revealed that apart from the Lagos state taskforce, and police some of the concessionaires at LPC must be held accountable for the problem of traffic at the Apapa port.
Nojeem also revealed that the police officers deployed at each junction of the road to control traffic have their own boys that collect the money on their behalf and failure to cooperate means the truck will suffer.
According to him, in most cases, such drivers are thrown into the Black Maria for failing to comply.
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