There was tension in Damaturu, the state capital of Yobe as Keke NAPEP operators embarked on a strike and protested the ongoing mistreatment and excessive fines imposed by the Yobe State Road Traffic Agency (YOROTA) personnel.
The operators claimed that their members had been subjected to high levels of harassment by YOROTA personnel, who also charged exorbitant fines for minor traffic offences and ordered fresh registration by every rider.
City & Crime gathered that students, commuters and businesses suffered as the riders expressed their frustration over the situation, demanding the government's intervention.
Bukar Adamu, a rider, said, "They (YOROTA) are charging us exorbitant fines from N5,000 to N20,000 for minor traffic offences. We won't take it anymore. Last year they created unnecessary charges of around N40,000 or N20,000 and forced us to pay.
"Now they want us to pay another money for stickers and vehicle registration plates (number plate). We will not allow any harassment again."
Another rider, Babagana Mustapha, said, "Many of the operators are finding it difficult to feed their families, and these Keke NAPEP you are seeing are not ours. We used to pay back daily, some weekly to the owners of these bikes. So, how will there be another issue of stickers and number plates when the prices of fuel and food items have increased?
"We are on a strike and protesting to say no to ordering fresh registration by every rider so that the government and relevant agencies can address the ongoing mistreatment and excessive fines imposed by."
But when contacted, Alhaji Umaru Barau, Yobe State Chairman of the Tricycle Riders Association, "This protest is illegal because they (protesters) have not informed the union about their plan to do this protest. They should at least inform us so that we will support them or advise them to desist. It is obvious that some of YOROTA's policies are affecting us directly and we have made our complaints to the general manager. But protest is not a solution."
Meanwhile, efforts to contact YOROTA for their perspective were unsuccessful.
