Many persons were injured in a fracas on Monday morning when some commercial motorcycle riders and bus drivers clashed with members of transport unions at Iyana-Oba bus stop on Mile 2, Badagry expressway.
The melee started over what the drivers and okada riders referred to as extortion of money from them by the union members.
Commercial bus drivers plying the Iyana-Oba/Badagry axis of the road went on strike last Thursday to express their displeasure over the recent hike in the cost of the transport union tickets from N200 to N1000.
The drivers alleged that the different unions made it mandatory for them to purchase the tickets without which they (drivers) would not be allowed to operate in the area.
Aside from the mandatory purchase of tickets, the drivers and okada riders alleged that they were also expected to buy tickets from task forces in different local governments and also pay N100 to agents working with policemen on traffic duty and N50 to operators of the different roadside parks.
One of the drivers, Femi Arowolo, said they were made to pay the sum of N1000 at Agbara park in the morning and pay another N1000 at Iyana-Sashi, Okokomaiko and Iyana-Oba and another N1000 in the evening to be allowed to operate failure of which drivers were attacked and their vehicles vandalised.
“This is aside from the sum of N100 paid to them on every trip and additional N200 paid to the police at every bus stop,” he alleged.
Monday’s fracas started when the urchins decided to forcefully collect double the amount they previously collected from motorcyclists.
A witness said it later turned out to be a free-for-all as the riders fought the urchins. One person was killed and many others injured in the fracas.
When contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said he was not aware of the strike.
He, however, promised to get back to our correspondent but didn’t at the time of filing this report.
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