Thursday, May 14, 2026 - Commercial motorcyclists in the Magboro area of Ogun State on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest over alleged police extortion and an increase in daily ticket levies imposed on operators in the community.
The protest disrupted vehicular movement in parts of the
area as dozens of riders withdrew their services and gathered near a police
formation to demand intervention from relevant authorities.
According to Punch, development could worsen
transportation costs and negatively affect residents who rely heavily on
motorcycles for daily commuting.
A shop owner in the area, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, alleged that task force officials recently increased the daily
ticket levy paid by commercial motorcyclists by about N300, raising the amount
from N800 to N1,100.
According to the trader, the increase would ultimately
affect commuters as riders might be forced to raise transport fares amid the
rising cost of fuel.
“The task force has increased their daily ticket by N300,
making the Okada riders pay N1,100 daily. This is going to affect the masses
because the riders will likely increase transport fares despite the high cost
of fuel,” the trader said.
One of the riders, identified simply as Sunday, accused some
police officers and task force operatives of harassment, extortion, and
arbitrary seizure of motorcycles.
“We are protesting because we are tired of what the police
are doing to us,” he said.
Sunday alleged that some officers usually storm the area
around 8pm to collect money from riders after issuing numbers to them.
“Around 8pm, the police officers usually come and give us
numbers before collecting N500 from us. By morning, they would still tell us
not to park around because there is no designated bus stop, and then seize our
bikes,” he alleged.
He further claimed that riders whose motorcycles were
impounded were often made to pay between N15,000 and N20,000 before the bikes
were released.
“They seize our bikes and make us pay as much as N20,000 to
retrieve them. Some of them do not even wear uniforms; they just carry the
bikes away. This has been happening for about two years,” he added.
Sunday also alleged that the daily levy collected from
riders had recently been increased from N600 to N800 by individuals who claimed
to be operating from Abeokuta.
“People collecting the tickets claim to be from Abeokuta. We
pay them N800 every day. Yesterday, they seized almost 10 bikes and made people
pay N15,000 or N20,000,” he alleged.
Recounting his experience, the rider said his motorcycle was
once impounded, but he was able to secure its release after paying N10,000 with
the intervention of his brother, who is a soldier.
Another rider, Yusuf Aliyu, said the protest was aimed at
drawing attention to the ongoing issues between riders and security operatives.
“We are trying to settle the issue, and that is the purpose
of this protest. What happened yesterday was that police officers came and
seized motorcycles without any offence being committed and then demanded money
from the riders,” he said.
Aliyu lamented that many of the affected riders were still
repaying loans used to buy their motorcycles.
“It is sad because most of them have not even finished
paying for the bikes, yet the police are demanding huge amounts from them,
making it difficult for them to survive or complete payment,” he added.
Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer,
Babaseyi Oluseyi, in a brief statement sent to PUNCH Metro on Wednesday,
clarified that the protest was mainly triggered by an increase in daily levies
and ticket fees allegedly imposed by the union leadership.
He stated that police operatives were immediately deployed
to the area to maintain law and order and prevent the protest from escalating.
“The protest by motorcyclists in Magboro today, May 13,
2026, was over the increase in daily levies and tickets imposed by their union
leadership,” the statement read.
The command added that the protesters were assured that a
stakeholders’ meeting would be convened to address their grievances and caution
the union leaders accordingly.
The police also dismissed allegations of extortion against
officers operating in the area, maintaining that restrictions on motorcycle
operations during late hours were part of security measures aimed at tackling
crime.
“The command also debunks allegations of police extortion.
Restrictions on motorcycle operations at odd hours, particularly around
0100hrs, are strictly part of security measures aimed at preventing crimes such
as motorcycle snatching,” the statement added.
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