Tricycle riders otherwise known as Keke NAPEP have staged a protest against the incessant harassment and attacks by armed thugs under the chairmanship of Lagos State Park and Garages Committee, Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, Merian, and Alakuko areas of the state.
The protesters carried placards with a different inscriptions that explained their grievances and challenges facing them amidst harassment and attacks at the hands of MC Oluomo and his loyalists.
Some of the messages include ‘MC Oluomo is killing us,’ ‘No more Oluomo at Ifako Ijaiye,’ ‘We want TOOAN,’ among others.
The protesters were also heard jointly chanting “we don’t want Oluomo again.”
One of the protesters who wouldn’t mention his name lamented high ticket sales, adding that tricycle business in the Ifako Ijaiye, Alakuko axis has been practically grounded.
He said “We are operators; we have been working since morning and they have spoiled everything and we can’t even work again. Ticket here ticket there, we don’t want Oluomo again.
“They should stop Oluomo for us. I have been injured because I want to eat; they are just giving us tickets every day. We don’t want Oluomo again.”
The protesters were reportedly dispersed by policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad.
Later on during the protest Police patrol vehicles and heavily armed police operatives were drafted to the axis to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
However, in another development, another group of tricycle operators protested around Abule-Egba, in the Agbado-Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area of the state.
The protesters lamented alleged harassment by armed thugs sponsored by the chairman of Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria, Azeez Abiola, aka Istijabah.
The tricycle operators said the harassment started after they denounced their membership from NURTW and TOOAN, adding that Istijabah and his foot-soldiers allegedly condemned them for attempting to join the transport union committee created by the government.
Speaking with our correspondent, the erstwhile chairman, TOOAN, Branch B, Ojokoro-Ijaiye, Musa Adekunbi, aka Odo, accused members of the association of deposing him after pledging allegiance to the government-led committee headed by MC Oluomo.
He said, “I used to be the treasurer, TOOAN, but recently, I recorded myself in a video clip that I am no longer with TOOAN and that I am now working with the state government’s Park and Garages Committee but he (Istijabah) disagreed despite about 20 others leaving the zone to join the park management.
“My branch is at Ijaiye but he willingly allowed about 20 people to go and join the park management but he does not want me to join and I no longer want to join TOOAN. So, his boys were the ones that came to pursue us away from the Ijaiye park and we reported the incident at the Ojokoto police station and at Area G in Ogba.”