Lagos tricycle operators disown protesting riders

Tricyle Operators of Nigeria(TOAN), an affiliate of the National Union of Road Transport Workers(NURTW), has  disowned riders who protested alleged harassment, recently.

The operators said the riders, at Iju -lshaga,who protested at the Lagos State House of Assembly were not registered to operate tricyle in Lagos State

Some aggrieved tricyle riders from Iju- lshaga axis had  stormed Lagos State House of Assembly to protest what they termed harassment of their members, claiming that the members were always forced to carry passengers “and their tricycles are always being seized whenever they don’t have passengers to carry”

Reacting to the allegations, the chairman of Ifako ljaye branch ‘A’ of tricycle operators, Mr Toyin Ibraheem who spoke on behalf of the leaders of the other two branches, B and C, Oseni Raheem and Fakanle Jimoh, said the protesters were not recognised by the Lagos State government to operate tricycles in the area.

He added that some of them always come from neighbouring Ogun State and they are always involved in crime like “one chance”.

“We have written series of petitions to Area G Police Command about the illegal activities of these people. We are always receiving complaints from passengers about the criminal tendencies of these people.”

On the way out, Mr Ibraheem said “our guideline is that every tricyle operator must pick passengers at designated park but in their own case, they prefer to be roaming on the streets and we don’t know their mission, hence we always report them to the police

“For peace to reign, the aggrieved people must be ready to cooperate and abide by rules and regulations”.