As policemen across the country are busy obeying the orders of the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, to stop road and street checkpoints, Lagos residents are now faced with miscreants, popularly known as area boys, who see the police absence from the road as a big break to extort money from commercial drivers and motorcycle riders.
Investigations revealed that at Onipanu and Mushin, two Lagos suburbs notorious for gang war, the absence of policemen from the road is creating lucrative avenues for the hoodlums to waylay commercial drivers, tricycle riders and motorcyclists.
While policemen were seen in their vehicles along black spots and on major streets, providing security for the teeming residents, the miscreants, it was noticed, mounted streets and road blocks where they collected “toll” fees.
A resident of Awoyukun Street at Onipanu, Lamide Owolabi, said the area boys extort money from commercial drivers since the policemen stopped streets and road checkpoints.
Owolabi said: “The policemen have stopped checking motorists and okada riders on the road and so they are not collecting their usual N50 from the drivers, but what we have observed is that the area boys have taken over the police checkpoints and they are now the ones extorting money from drivers and motorcycle riders. The policemen are just by the road side watching the people while the activities of the area boys have increased over the last one week.”
Investigation at Mofoluku, Oshodi and Ikeja revealed that policemen are partially obeying the orders of the acting IGP as police officers mount checkpoints in the night but during the day, the officers are seen standing by the roadside, while others sit in roadside shops.
A commercial motorcycle rider, Ganiyu Ishola, expressed happiness over the removal of policemen from the road.
Ishola said: “I am very grateful to the IGP, Mohammed Abubakar, for ordering the police to stop checkpoints on the roads and on the streets. Since they stopped the road checkpoints, I have been able to save enough money from riding okada because when the policemen were on the road you have to settle them with N50 or N100 each time you pass the streets.
“At the same time, you also pay to the area boys.
“So at the end of the day, you would have spent money you are supposed to save on the policemen, who will extort you with their guns, but now it is different as they are no longer on the road to collect the money and I am very happy.”