Anambra tricycle operators decry daily extortions, illegal revenues

Tricycle operators, the Anambra Keke Drivers Forum, have lamented the continuous alleged multiple taxation, extortion, harassment and intimidation being perpetrated against them by both state and non-state actors, including touts and illegal revenue collectors.

They appealed to the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to address the challenges of illegal revenue collectors and revenue touts, noting that the situation has posed additional hardship on them.

Speaking to journalists in Awka on Tuesday, the Chairman of the Anambra Keke Drivers Forum, Ifeanyi Okafor, noted that despite the establishment of the Anambra State Anti-Touting Agency (SASA), to curb the activities of illegal revenue collectors, the revenue touts have continued to operate freely at parks, loading points, and along major roads across the state.

Okafor alleged that the touts collect between N400 to N1,000 daily from tricycle operators in addition to official loading fees.

He lamented that despite the governor’s earlier assurance that tricycle operators would not be required to make any additional payments after paying their statutory taxes, they are still being compelled to pay numerous levies imposed by both government agencies and non-state actors.

He cited several instances of the alleged extortion across the state, stressing that “at the Amawbia Express Park, touts collect N300 per loading and an additional N200 as booking fee.”

He added, “At Ifitedunu in Dunukofia Local Government Area, operators are compelled to pay a daily N200 welfare levy and another N200 charge for unknown purpose.

“At Ichida, Awka, touts accompanied by heavily built men, collect N1,000 daily from every tricycle operator without any legal justification.

“Similarly, at Kwata Park, operators pay N400 daily to touts, while at Eze Uzu Agu, Awka, tricycle riders are forced to pay N300 daily along the road in addition to the approved loading fee.”

Okafor expressed regret that whenever the operators report these activities to the Anti-Touting Agency, no meaningful action is taken, leaving the operators to fend for themselves.

“Many of us now suspect that some members of the Anambra State Anti-Touting Squad have compromised and are working in collaboration with the touts,” he alleged.

He further noted that tricycle operators can no longer operate freely in Ifite-Awka because of persistent harassment, intimidation, and extortion by louts despite Soludo’s earlier promise to protect commercial transport operators throughout the state.

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Okafor also accused the state government of continually introducing new policies and financial obligations for tricycle operators, thereby increasing their economic burden.

According to him, the government has introduced several compulsory requirements, including security jacket, smart rider’s permit, security profiling, security colour code, security enrolment, T-Code, U-Code, H-Code, and other related security documentation.

He maintained that each of these requirements attracts additional costs, placing further financial pressure on operators.

He said, “The government appears to have forgotten that tricycle transportation was introduced as a poverty alleviation initiative aimed at providing employment opportunities.

“No one takes up tricycle riding on commission or by choice, but rather out of necessity to survive the prevailing economic hardship, instead of remaining unemployed or becoming a burden to society.”

He also criticised the decision of the Anambra State House of Assembly to approve a law making it compulsory for all commercial motorcycle (Okada), tricycle (Keke), and bus operators in the state to wear security identification jackets.

According to him, while the Assembly explained that the policy was intended to strengthen security, enable easier identification of registered operators, and improve passenger confidence, the lawmakers failed to consider the financial hardship such policies impose on transport operators.

Okafor argued that tricycle operators had already undergone government profiling before being issued their T-Codes and registered for tax payments, questioning why additional security documentation requiring fresh payments was needed.

“We are paying through our sweat, yet government continues to introduce one policy after another that keeps impoverishing us. We work every day under the sun and in the rain, day and night, only to end up servicing both government revenue demands and illegal touts operating across the state.

“The governor promised to protect us from louts, but that promise has not been fulfilled. Keke riding is not a job anyone willingly chooses; it is a means of survival in this harsh economy.

Okafor also appealed to Governor Soludo to allow tricycle operators to establish an independent union made up exclusively of registered Keke riders.

According to him, such a union would make it easier to monitor members, improve discipline within the sector, and strengthen security across the state.