Thousands of people were stranded at various locations in Enugu metropolis on Monday, as bus drivers embarked on a two-day strike following alleged extortion, exploitation and intimidation of their members by officials of the state police command.
The drivers who ply Abakpa-Obiagu, Abakpa-New Market, Abakpa-Old Park and Abakpa-New Haven decried the activities of policemen on the routes following illegal arrest and detention on trump-up charges on minor traffic that ordinarily would have attracted warning instead.
They carried placards with various inscriptions staged protest to media houses including NTA, Radio Nigeria and State owned Radio/TV ESBS.
The group, in a protest letter signed by their spokesperson, Chibueze Eze, said the protest was to voice out to the whole world the level of extortion, intimidation and exploitation of their members by officials of Nigerian Police Force.
The letter said: “We, bus drivers of Abakpa axis, are here to express our heart bleeding feelings over what has been happing to us at various bus routes. The police in Abakpa have humiliated us for more than one year.
“We have no roundabout at Abakpa, and when you make a turn in the street they will arrest you and impound your vehicle on grounds that you have contravened traffic law in a street.”
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