Potholes: Motorists Decry Police Extortion Near The Tide Office

The Nigeria Police,
Diobu Division of the Rivers State Police Command has now taken undue advantage of the Potholes near The Tide Newspaper office  on Ikwerre Road and Silverbird Cinema axis in Port Harcourt, to extort money from unsuspecting motorists that attempt to divert onto the flyover at the Isaac Boro Park.
Some of the motorists who spoke with our correspondent accused the Diobu Police of making things difficult for them and alleged that the police hired commercial vehicles to chase and apprehend offenders, threatening to impound their vehicles to the station if they did not compromise by parting with cash.
The victims that pleaded anonymity said the policemen often stationed their vehicles on top of the flyover bridge only to block and extort money ranging from N5,000 to N20,000 from the defaulting motorists, while those taken to the station paid a whopping sum of N50,000.
According to them, it is embarrassing that when vehicles were impounded and taken to the station, they deflate the four tyres for the driver to pay N200 to pump each tyre to a stand by vulcaniser on release of such vehicle.
“The police know that the road is bad with the deep potholes and water, which had been damaging our vehicles each time we drove across inside the muddy water, resulting to our spending huge amounts in repairing the vehicles. Indeed, they are not fair and friendly knowing fully well the deplorable condition of the road,” a victim lamented.
The motorists, however, called on the state government to take urgent steps on the road to avoid further embarrassment by the police.
They also appealed to the police authority to call their men to order as their excesses are really embarrassing to the force.
Meanwhile, when contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state, ASP Grace Iringe-Koko, said  she was not aware of such extortion and promised to investigate.

Our Reporter