Soldiers caught extorting Lagos motorcyclists despite outcry

Despite the recent outcry over alleged harassment and extortion, transport workers in Lagos State claim that officials of Operation MESA have continued to carry out their activities unchecked.

The tricycle and motorcycle riders in Shasha, Idimu, Ejigbo, and Ikotun areas, who initially raised the alarm, lamented to PUNCH Metro that the officials still move around their parks in a branded truck, extorting money from them.

The transport workers alleged that the armed officials threatened to shoot them if they failed to provide the demanded money.

Checks by PUNCH Metro however confirmed the claims of the transport workers as the military officials were seen moving around from one park to another on motorcycles, extorting the operators.

During an observation by our correspondent, on Wednesday, two military personnel believed to be officials of OP MESA were seen extorting some motorcycle riders at the White House junction along Governor’s Road in the Ikotun area of the state.

The officers who were fully kitted while bearing arms engaged the motorcycle riders for about 10 minutes. A closer move to them revealed how they haggled over the amount they sought to collect from the transport workers.

A standby motorcycle which conveyed them around the community also waited for them at the junction while the conversation lasted.

When approached, the motorcycle riders refrained from speaking on the issue due to fear of being victimised by the perpetrators.

Residents however confirmed the soldiers paid regular visits to the place to extort the officials.

One of the residents who did not want his name in print due to the sensitive nature of the matter said, “That is how they come almost every day. It is what we see regularly. They also come in two sets, some in the morning and another in the afternoon.”

Most of the motorcycle riders are elderly and they only take people from the junction into the streets, so they earn little. Sometimes, when the military men come in the morning, the okada riders may not have earned anything.”

Affected motorcycle riders in the community had in separate interviews with our correspondent lamented over alleged harassments by the military officials during regular visits to their parks.

Another transporter, who gave his name as Samson, alleged that the officers usually took the law into their own hands by assaulting them during their visits to the parks.

“We are always in apprehension whenever they visit us. They give us nothing less than five minutes to provide the money and whenever there is a delay, they will end up beating us. Just last week, a tricycle rider at the Powerline unit was asked to lie down in the drainage and beaten in the process because he told them that he had not started work and did not have money on him.

“Another one at the Ile-Iwe unit had his tyre destroyed with their gun for a similar reason. While we still manage to give them the money, the assault on our members is unfair. And there is nothing we can do about it because they are armed,” one of them, who identified himself simply as Samson, disclosed.

The acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 81 Division, Olabisi Ayeni, could not be reached for a reaction as calls made to his telephone were not answered. Also, a text message sent to him had yet to be replied to as of the time this report was filed.

Cases of extrajudicial killings involving military officers allegedly extorting transport workers have been recorded in the past.

In February 2014, a 36-year-old tricyclist, Richard Samuel, was allegedly killed by an OP MESA official, simply identified as Mohammed, over the tricyclist’s failure to pay an illegal daily levy of N500.

On August 22, 2012, armed men suspected to be members of the OP MESA were also alleged to have killed a ‘Keke Marwa’ rider, Yusuf Oluwaseun, during an argument.