Hundreds of tricycle (Keke Napep) operators in Damaturu l, the Yobe State capital took streets on Wednesday to register their displeasure over alleged clampdown on members by men of the Nigeria Police.
The protest, which commenced in the early hours of Wednesday nearly went violent as tyres and police traffic control shades close to the ‘A’ Division Police Station at the heart of the metropolis were set ablaze by the angry youths.
Police personnel manning the station were compelled to use teargas in order to disperse the protestants, a situation which was said to have truncated movement by passersby and paralysed commercial activities around the area.
Yobe State Chairman of the Amalgamated Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners, Repairs and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) Umar Barau has confirmed the incident to DAILY POST, but said the protesters did not consult the leadership of the association before embarking on the action.
On what triggered the protest, the chairman said the action by the protesting members might not be unconnected with the issue of unregistered tricycles.
“Yobe State Commissioner of Police has informed us time without numbers on the need for our members to register their number plates and we have passed down the massage to all members across the state through the local government chairmen and unit chairmen.
“The protest was conducted without the consent of the association and therefore it was a unilateral decision taken by some of the members.
“ACOMORAN, Yobe state disassociates itself from the protest”, Barau disclosed.
The State Chairman advised members of the association to always be law-abiding and avoid taking laws into their hand and other habits capable of breaching peace in the state.
DAILY POST gathered that, apart from burning down some of the police traffic control shades, no life was lost and no injury sustained by the protesting tricyclists.
The protest has thrown residents of the metropolis into state of confusion as many whom at the seen of the protest had to scamper for safety assuming that it was an attack.
While reacting on the sad development, a resident of Damaturu Kagu Abubakar said, “today’s incident between Keke Napep riders and security agents is part of a broader underlying community problem that includes the way evening curfew is handled, proliferation and lack of regulation in the local transport system, impunity on both sides of the divide and a security system that seemed to operate independent of the main political system.
“To avoid the recurrence of this and similar situations, now is the time for the state to take charge and lead the discussion on communal dialogue, legality, civil rights, limits of acceptable behavior and proportionality in conduct.”
Another resident Abdullahi Ibrahim opined that, “the security operatives are not careful in discharging their duties, because they always mixed power with impunity, while on the other hand Keke Napep riders have no respect for the traffic rules and regulations. Therefore, government most stand firm against indiscipline.”
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer Yobe state Command, ASP Abdulhafeez Abdulmalik, confirmed the incident, while pledging to make available a press release to newsmen in no distant time.
