Some commercial drivers in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital have cried out against alleged police extortion and insecurity on inter-city routes in the State.
A driver plying the Emohua Ahoada axis of the state attached to the NDDC Assisted Mass Transit Unit at the Abali Park, Mile One, Mr Igila Herbert, who spoke to The Tide last Friday complained that the police manning the checkpoints along that route were extorting too much money from the drivers while failing on their security duties.
Herbert noted that the spate of kidnapping along that route in the full glare of the police was alarming and called for a dismantling of checkpoints with replacement of military checkpoints.
According to him, “the police would park their patrol van which in reality is supposed to be used for patrol as money collection van from us drivers. They should use their patrol vans to chase criminal and not park them for collection of tolls from the commercial drivers. I plead with police high command to dismanthe those checkpoints with the immediate replacement by military checkpoints. He explained that driving along that route was challenging irrespective of the time of the day due to the level of  in security the6y face, lamenting  that they were suffering losses as a result of the criminal activities on the rout.  In a related development, drivers plying the Port Harcourt Ikot Ekpene route have charged the government on the deplorable state of the road on that axis.
The Head Driver, Igo Travels, Waterlines, Mr Chucks Anule, said the deplorable state of the road was the reason for the increased level of criminal activities on the route. He called on government to come to their aid and fix the road to enhance their business and rid the route of criminals.

Tonye Nria-Dappa