Ago-Iwoye Residents Lament Police Extortion Causing Auto Accidents

The residents of Ago-Iwoye in Ogun state have decried the illegal activities of the officers of Nigerian police in the town.

Our correspondent during the weekend witnessed a scene where a police officer at Ita-Merin area of town threatened to shoot a driver for not giving him a bribe of a hundred naira, which has become a kind of custom for the police in the area.

Mathew Oredowo, a commercial motorcyclist in the area, explained how much the police officers in Ago-Iwoye extort commercial drivers and motorcyclists.

He added that most the auto accidents recorded in the area had been caused by the police in the course of extorting the drivers and riders.

“When they get to the police post, they are forced to pay 100 naira in the morning, afternoon and evening,” he said. “In the process of dodging the payment, there’s a reckless driving and that will lead to the accident.”

Atakan Ruth, a female student of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, told our correspondent that the security operatives have done more harm than good in the area and that they have neglected their duties only to be seen constituting some nuisance.

A commuter, Abdulsamad Kewuyemi, narrated how the police officers gave numbers to drivers after collecting the bribe from them. The number given will enable them to pass at the police blocks.

“These people are doing things that are not their duties and have neglected their primary assignments,” he lamented.

Also, a roadside trader identified as Iya Segun, added that considering the menace of the operatives, the area is better without them.

All attempts to reach Ahmed Illyasu, the Police Commissioner of the state and the Police Public relations Officer of the command, were unyielding.

However, one of the operatives in the emergency control room promised that an action will be taken to correct the anomalies.

“Noted! We promise to look into the complaints,” he promised.