Keke riders protest alleged police harassment and extortion in Warri

Commercial tricycle operators marched to the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue (DBIR) headquarters on Wednesday to protest alleged police harassment, extortion, and illegal arrests.

The demonstrators blocked one lane of the main highway to the airport, chanting solidarity songs.

They carried placards demanding answers, including: “License Office, tell us why our plate numbers are not registered in your system. Police are harassing us,” “Government, provide us with jobs please. Police leave Keke riders alone,” and “License Office, what happened to our plate numbers,” among others.

The protesters claimed that police in Warri and surrounding areas have been subjecting them to illegal arrests and demanding daily extortion payments of ten thousand Naira (N10,000).

They warned that if the issue is not addressed amicably by the relevant government agencies, it could spiral into a major crisis.

One operator from the Eyekpimi family of the Okere-Urhobo community said that if police are searching for “illegal officers,” they should arrest those working at the DBIR office instead of targeting Keke riders on the road.

He added that the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, may not be aware of the situation in Warri and urged him to take notice.

“Governor, the police in Warri are harassing us. Area Command, Ekpan, B Division, and all of them,” the operator said.

Eyekpimi noted that the licensing office has registered their number plates and questioned whether the police are targeting the wrong people. He called for an end to the illegal arrests and daily extortion of N10,000 by police in Warri and its environs.

Another tricycle operator, Jeffery Awhe Akioja, echoed these concerns, stating that police are troubling them and that they also face other illegal development fees on the road each day.

He recounted recent incidents, saying, “They came with a basket, a waste bin, we confronted them. They came with a tapouline and told us not to paint our Keke black; we confronted them again.”

“We have balanced the Keke we bought on hire purchase for between 8–9 million Naira. We are still managing it because there is no job in the country and state,” Akioja added.

According to Akioja, “If they hold your Keke, you will pay N10,000. If you don’t have it, they arrest you at the police station, whereas it is the State Government that registers plate numbers for us, not we ourselves.”

“Today, we decided to protest at the licensing office because of police harassment, illegal arrest, and extortion,” he said. “B Division doesn’t want to allow us rest. Mopolo base, Ogunu, Enerhen, all of them. Enough is enough.”

Wisdom Omoteh, another protester, recounted his experience with police in Enerhen Division: “They held me, checked my particulars, and said the paper was not for the number plate.”

He added, “If they’re looking for who committed the offence, it is not we riders that committed the offence. They should go and arrest them at the licensing office.”